The Camping Trip
by bluegirl-783
Summary: It's the holidays, and the boys decide to go away camping for a week, leaving the women at home. However, the girls realise how much they miss them, so they decide to join them...plenty of fun to be had!
1. The Boys Decide to Go Camping

_Author's Note: I couldn't resist writing another story while thinking about the other one! Hope you enjoy this one as well!_

_The Princess Diaries belongs to Meg Cabot and Disney_

It was a beautiful, but extremely warm mid August summer day in Genovia, over a year since the coronation of Queen Amelia, and much of the country was sheltering from the heat in front of air conditioners or fans. It was no different at the palace, with its occupants staying close to air conditioning.

Clarisse Renaldi Bonnell was leaning her head sleepily on her husband Joseph's chest as they lay on the couch, watching a film on television….it was one of her favourite positions, listening to his strong and steady heartbeat…she could have happily gone to sleep in that position when she suddenly held a loud, muffled shriek come from down the hall, in the direction of Mia's suite.

She sat up for a moment, now wide awake, and startled by the noise, but quickly relaxed when she realised who had made the noise, and why.

"I guess Mia has finished her last session of parliament until the beginning of October," Joe said as Clarisse settled back next to him, her head on his shoulder, and he gently stroked her hair.

"I guess she must be pleased about that, judging from the noise she just made."

"It is a big deal…she's officially on holidays for 6 weeks," Clarisse said with a chuckle. She herself hadn't reacted quite as loudly as when she had been Queen, and had finished, but she could well understand Mia's feelings…

After a year of being in constant communication with a group of parliamentarians double (or even triple) her age, and numerous meetings with representatives of different countries, and not to mention the business of the country itself, the holidays would be a welcome relief.

"I can't ever recall you sounding that excited, or doing that," Joseph said with a smile as Clarisse looked over at him with a quizzical look, which quickly relaxed into a smile.

"Well, you never saw me when I was alone, did you?" she said teasingly, before she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "You never know, I may have been wild with joy every August, screamed my head off, and even got drunk!"

"You get drunk?" Joe said, emphasizing each word before ending with a loud laugh as they slowly stood up, stretching their limbs and grinning at each other.

"I've never seen you drunk…hang on, wait a minute…I have!"

"I'm not talking about that…I'm just saying that you don't know how I celebrated when we finished for a long holiday," Clarisse said coyly as she walked towards the bedroom to brush her hair- they were due to meet Mia for lunch in fifteen minutes.

"I know you better than you think, Clarisse Renaldi Bonnell," Joseph said as he followed her into the bedroom, and put his arm around her waist, gazing at her reflection in the mirror.

"And I know that you were always calm and contained…I would have heard you screaming from your suite! In fact, I would have joined you!"

"Alright, you know me too well," Clarisse laughed as she turned away from the mirror, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "But, I'm glad to see that you're using my proper name, with no 'Queen' in front of it!"

"You will always be a Queen, Clarisse my love, no matter what you say or do," Joe said as he softly kissed her forehead, before gazing into her deep blue eyes. "I'm just relieved that I don't have to call you that anymore!"

"Cheeky man- you haven't had to call me that since we were married!" Clarisse said, playfully slapping his arm, but not pulling away as he leaned forward and gave her a long sweet kiss.

"I forgive you…but I think you had better change your shirt…" she added, playfully shoving him towards his wardrobe.

She watched him with a warm and tender smile as he rummaged in their shared, built in wardrobe- she had never imagined how truly happy she was…she had thought that, after her 36 year marriage to Rupert ended with her as a widow, that was it…she would be Queen, alone, until her granddaughter came of age….but, after the tragic accident that stole her beloved Phillipe, she knew life had to move on…and Mia brought so much joy and pleasure into her life…she was so much like Phillipe…Clarisse couldn't imagine her life without Mia…

But she had never imagined that she would love Joseph so much and that they would actually be together….she had secretly nursed feelings for him for many years, and it had come as a bolt of lightning when Joseph confessed that he loved her too….

"You love me?" Clarisse said softly, her eyes filling with tears as they paused in their wandering in the garden, and Joseph took both her hands in his and looked at her intensely for a long moment.

"Of course I do, Clarisse…I always have…I just never knew that you felt the same way about me…"

"I do," she said before leaning forward and kissing him, their second kiss, but it was proof that she loved him. "You are such a wonderful man, Joseph, and any woman should be so lucky to have you love them…"

"But they aren't lucky…there was only one I ever loved," Joe said, touching her cheek with his hand, and was touched to see her blush.

They had had to hide their feelings for a long, long time, but she had only recently discovered that most of the country had known about their 'friendship' for a while. She had been embarrassed about that, but she was so happy that she didn't care…

There had been a moment, the previous year, when she had been afraid that she would lose him forever, but Mia, encouraged by her grandmother's advice about marrying, had told her not to give up with him…and now, they had been married for almost 14 months…the happiest fourteen months of her life!

"What are you smiling about now?" Joseph asked, jolting her out her daydream, and she smiled happily at him.

"Nothing…"

"Nothing?" Joseph asked teasingly, walking slowly over towards her.

"Nothing," Clarisse affirmed, but then her smile broadened. "I just can't believe how happy I am…"

"I can't believe how happy I am too," he admitted as he kissed her again. "But," he added, glancing at his watch. "We had better go, otherwise Mia's going to wonder where we are!"

* * *

The sound of laughter spilled out of the closed doors of Mia's suite, and Clarisse chuckled at the sound of Mia's laugh, loud and clear.

"She's happy," she said, before Joseph opened the door and they walked in.

Inside, everyone was standing around the set table for eight, and laughing at a joke that Nicholas had obviously been telling. They stopped and turned to greet Clarisse and Joe warmly, giving Clarisse the chance to see who else was having lunch with them. Present in the room was Captain Kip Kelly and Lily; Charlotte and Shades, and Prime Minister Motez and his wife, Sheila, both of whom were firm friends of everyone present in the room. It was a tight, close circle that some of the more jealous parliamentarians had tried, unsuccessfully, to infiltrate.

"Grandma! Joe!" Mia stopped laughing, and waved happily at her as Clarisse and Joe mad their way over to the group. "I can't believe it…I have six weeks to do absolutely nothing! I can't believe that my holidays are here!"

"I'm relieved," Nicholas quipped. "I've been hearing her complain about everything for the last month, and dreaming about this time…finally, maybe I can get some sleep!" he laughed, ducking as Mia threw a pillow in his direction.

"Yes, we heard the scream of delight from our suite," Joe added with a grin, and Mia had the good grace to blush in embarrassment.

"If you thought it was loud from there, just imagine how I felt, being only a meter away from her!" Lily joined in from where she was sitting, next to Kip on the couch, and everyone dissolved into laughter again. Mia looked around the room in mock disgust.

"I can't believe this…everyone's decided it's 'gang up on Mia' day!"

"Don't worry, darling…I know how you feel," Clarisse said reassuringly once the laughter had died down again. "I was in your position, not so long ago."

"Yes Mia, she was trying to convince me that she screamed with joy in her suite when she had her holidays," Joe joined in, which only started everyone off again. Clarisse rolled her eyes in mock exasperation, and smiled at her granddaughter.

"Let's sit down, Mia, and leave the rest of the zoo to keep laughing until they've settled down!"

However, she was pleased to see the friendly and warm atmosphere in the room- Mia obviously had a strong support system in Nicholas, Lily and Kip, Charlotte and Shades, as well as Sebastian and Sheila. Sebastian had been a supportive and loyal prime minister to Clarisse, and she had no doubt that he would be more than supportive to Mia…

She smiled as Mia and Nicholas shared a cheeky smiled as they sat down on opposite sides of the table- Mia next to Clarisse, and Nicholas next to Charlotte. She was genuinely delighted for them- although they had had a rocky start to their relationship (Lord Devereaux had been trying to steal Mia's crown for himself), they had quickly fallen in love…and had married six months ago. Nicholas showed no inclination for his previous ambitions, and he was a wonderful support for Mia…Clarisse only wished that she had had that support when she had been Queen…

But, then again, she smiled as she glanced at Joe sitting beside her, busily chatting to Sheila, she had had her support…Joseph had always been hers…

She smiled at Mia on her other side, and then over at Nicholas…it had been a rollercoaster six months since their wedding, with a few incredible arguments, but it was abundantly clear that they adored each other…

Clarisse moved her gaze towards Shades and Charlotte, who were secretly giggling at each other across the table…theirs was another relationship that had been in hiding for a long time (although not as long as hers with Joseph, she thought with a wry grin), but they were obviously happy together, and Clarisse was pleased for them. She no longer had Charlotte as her assistant, as Charlotte had decided to go into parliament, but the two of them often had lunch together, and Clarisse had seen Charlotte in action in parliament…she was well suited to the role…

She was so busy looking and thinking about the others, that she almost jumped out her skin when she felt Joseph's hand creep under the table and squeeze her knee gently. She turned to look at him, and he was grinning knowingly at her.

"You were daydreaming again, weren't you?" he leaned close so only she could hear, and she instantly denied it, proving to Joseph that it had been true.

"Certainly not! I don't do that…" but she smiled ingenuously at him as she realised that it was no use lying to Joseph…they knew each other too well…

He laughed, and squeezed her hand on the table, before they turned away to talk to other people.

"So Mia, "Clarisse began as she unfolded her napkin, and spread it over her lap. "How did the last session of parliament go?"

Mia rolled her eyes at the mention of parliament.

"At least three of them mentioned the Winter Palace for a couple of weeks as a vacation spot…But I said I'd get back to them about that…Anyway, it went pretty well…I think everyone is as relieved as I am that it's finished for a while…"

"Of course they are…it's as hard a year for them as it is for you," Clarisse said calmly, trying to even up the balance, but even Mia could tell that she was fibbing slightly.

"Grandma, they have less to do then me…except Charlotte," she added hastily as Charlotte raised an eyebrow in her direction.

"And you know it….how on earth did you manage to keep so calm and collected around them- especially when they're all screaming for your attention?"

"Just a simple lesson I've learnt over the years- they all exaggerate for attention."

"Great, I'll keep that in mind for next time…But the meeting only lasted an hour, thank goodness, and now…holidays! I feel like I've been released from school for the summer! What was it like when you were Queen?"

"Almost the same as yours, only I didn't give them the chance to complain about anything. I think that annoyed them the most!" she laughed, remembering some of the flushed faces she had witnessed in parliament in her time, before changing the subject.

"So, darling, what are your plans for the next six weeks?"

"I actually hadn't thought that far ahead, actually," Mia said with a sheepish grin, as she sipped her glass of water and looked at her grandmother.

"Parliament is on holidays until October, so I'm thinking that we may go away for a while…but I'm definitely going to pamper myself over the next few days…I think I deserve it!" she smiled wryly at Clarisse, who glanced closely at Mia- she didn't look very well…she looked pale and tired…

She had been looking a little unwell for a while, and Clarisse had noticed it, and had wanted to ask about it, but attributed it to stress. Hopefully, now that she was on holidays, she would be able to rest and do very little.

"How about going to the beach house for a couple of days…it's perfect weather there at this time of year, and it's relatively quiet…"

"That sounds like a good idea," Mia said thoughtfully. "I've always loved the beach house…and the ocean…" she took a deep breath as though she was standing in front of the ocean, before coming back to reality. "I'll have to talk it over with Nick, though."

Meanwhile, the men seemed to be discussing their plans for the summer, and talk soon turned towards outdoor pursuits- specifically, camping.

"You know, I haven't been camping in quite a while," Nicholas said thoughtfully, as the rest of the men looked at him interestedly. "Uncle was never the sort of man that would rest comfortably in a tent…I used to go with some of the boys from college, and it was so much fun…fishing, hiking, dr…" but he quickly stopped when he realised he was in the presence of Mia's grandmother.

Although she was very kind and generous, with a lovely heart, he was still often intimidated around her…perhaps it was because he felt guilty that he and his uncle had tried to undermine Mia… but, to Clarisse's credit, she had never held it against him…However, she seemed to miss his almost lapse, as she joined in the animated conversation.

"Camping? I've never been camping…Rupert used to take the boys most summers until they got old enough to rebel, but I just wasn't that comfortable sleeping outside, in the woods…ugh," she voluntarily shuddered, as Joseph took her hand reassuringly.

"Mom and I went camping once," Mia volunteered with a laugh. "We thought it was fun…until we got rained out! We didn't go again!"

There was a silence as everyone thought about the idea of camping, before Shades said:

"I think it's a great idea! Who's up for it? I know I am! Kip?"

"Sure," he said calmly, not in the least perturbed at the spirited chatter surrounding him.

"I am definitely in!" Nicholas said positively.

"It'll be fun," Joseph said, and looked at Clarisse questioningly. "How about you, darling?"

Clarisse wrinkled her nose in disgust, and shook her head.

"No, I don't think so….I'm not so much into camping…"

"Mia?" Nicholas asked, and Mia, after a moment's thought, shook her head too.

"No thanks….I was thinking more about having a long massage, and watching lots of girly movies," she said, laughing at the disgusted look on Nicholas's face.

"I'll come," Sebastian said with a wide smile, while Sheila shook her head.

"Charlotte….my darling, Charlotte…will you come too?" Shades joked heavily, looking directly at Charlotte, who was looking thoughtful, before shaking her head.

"Give me a break- I'm not spending my holidays out in the woods, where fishing and hiking are the only things I can do!"

'So," Nicholas began after a slight pause. "It looks like it's a boys only holiday….when are we going to do this?"

"Let's do it again in the next couple of days…it's perfect weather at the moment! But, what are we going to need?"

"We'll need at least three tents- maybe a double for each of us?" Joe suggested, as the others nodded in agreement. "And sleeping bags- possibly nice thick ones…I can imagine it may get slightly cool where we're going at night."

"Plenty of food," put in Shades, and Charlotte gave a snort of laughter.

"I can see where your priorities are!" as Shades tossed his napkin at her.

"Fishing gear," Sebastian, a keen fisherman, chimed in.

"As well as plenty of warm clothes…don't think I'm going to nurse you if you come back with a chill," Clarisse said mock sharply to Joseph, before her stern look melted into a warm smile for her husband.

"I'm so lucky I've got a wife who would do anything for me…wouldn't you, baby?" Nicholas beamed charmingly across the table at Mia, who only shook her head in mock despair.

"Not with illness, buddy…" as the rest of the table laughed. After a slight pause, Shades took charge of the conversation again.

"So, I guess some of us should go and get some of this stuff this afternoon…Joe?"

"I'm busy helping my wife in her garden," Joe said, putting an arm around Clarisse, and then both of them laughed along with the group, all of them knowing that Joseph didn't garden.

"Fine, I'll come," Nicholas pretended to sigh heavily, but his grin only contradicted his words.

"I'll help you too," Kip volunteered, and it seemed that everything was set. The rest of the meal was spent talking about the camping trip, with the men exchanging stories about their trips, and the women listened with amusement, exchanging smiles with each other occasionally.

"I can see that we're going to have a peaceful week without the boys," Mia murmured to Clarisse in an undertone, and Clarisse laughed.

"I can only imagine what they are going to get up to without us!"

* * *

After lunch, most of the boys disappeared down the street to buy supplies for their trip ('I can imagine what some of those supplies are going to be' Clarisse heard Lily mutter), while Clarisse and Joseph silently disappeared for a walk. Although it was still boiling hot in the grounds, they discovered that, as they walked, hand in hand, down into the forest and to the lake, it was much cooler in the green, leafy forest than around the palace.

"Maybe Rupert's ancestors should have built the palace down here!" she joked as they wandered down towards the lake shore. Joseph looked at her, pretending to be shocked.

"And wreck a wonderful forest, and some fantastic hiding places? No way!" but he was laughing as he said it, and she playfully slapped his arm.

"So…a whole week apart…."Clarisse said thoughtfully as Joseph spread a blanket a few meters from the shore, and they sat down on it together. "I don't know how I'll cope!" she pretended to pout at him.

"You can still change your mind, you know," Joseph said teasingly, and she threw him a disparaging look, while shaking her head.

"I don't think so…I'm much more comfortable at home, in front of air conditioning and with all my home comforts…But I am going to miss you," she said softly as he pulled her close and kissed her.

"So," she said after a long moment. "What sort of things do you do camping? I know it's sad that I've never been camping, but Rupert seemed to prefer that it was a boy thing when he took Rupert and Phillipe…" she looked away for a moment, pretending not to show how hurt she had been when it had happened.

"Just all the normal things that you heard us talking about at lunch…fishing, hiking, sleeping under the stars, singing campfire songs…believe me, it's actually quite fun…You know, my brother and I went camping a lot when we were younger….of course, most of the time it was in our own backyard…"

"In your own backyard…how sweet!"

"But when I got my driver's license, we went out of town a couple of times camping…but then Ben grew out of it, and I didn't go again for a while…Maybe at college a couple of times…But I think we'll have a great time, especially where we're going…"

"Yes, away from this dreadful heat…I think that's the only thing I envy about this trip!"

"So," Joseph said, turning to look at Clarisse. "What are you going to do while I'm away, my darling wife?"

"Hmmm….I don't know…" Clarisse began, pretending to be coy. "At least I'll have some time to do things I can't do when you're around, distracting me…" she said with a teasing look, and Joe pretended to look offended.

"I surely can't be that much of a pain, can I?" he said mock petulantly. "But I could take that the wrong way, if I wanted to," but the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth told her otherwise.

"I know you won't," Clarisse said confidently, but with a soothing smile as she moved closer, and put an arm around her shoulders.

"But," she continued with a sigh. "I'm actually looking forward to spending time with Mia…she's had such a hectic year, what with the coronation, and then her wedding…and I'm a little worried about her…she looks rather tired and pale…"

"Yes, I noticed that about her….but, don't forget, there have been some busy times…but not only for Mia, but for us too…" Joe said softly, and she turned to give him a shy smile.

"Of course! I'm forgetting about our own wedding…" but she didn't finish her sentence as he began to trail his lips into her hair, moving slowly down her face until they met her lips.

"You better not forget our wedding," she murmured softly before he kissed her again, and she chuckled huskily.

"How could I forget our wedding…that was the most wonderful day of my life…"

"Mine too," he murmured softly as his lips moved down her cheek, past her jaw, and landed on her neck. She laughed softly, and he looked at her questioningly.

"What?"  
"I told you that I was going to miss you, but you never said the same…I'm wondering whether you are going to miss me or not…"

"Aren't you a little past being insecure about our marriage?" he asked teasingly, before smiling at her and resting a hand on her cheek.

"Of course I'm going to miss you…that's why I asked you again if you wanted to come with us! It's going to be the first time we've spent more than one night apart since our wedding!"

"Really?" Clarisse looked at him surprised, and then laughed. "Yes, I realised that…can you believe that we haven't spent a night apart in 14 months?"

"Well, we spent over 25 years apart before then, so I think we can be forgiven for not spending any time apart," Joe said as he playfully tugged at a strand of her hair.

"But, can we handle a week apart now?" she said teasingly, looking at him with a smile.

"I think we can…but, when I come back…" he trailed off good-naturedly, and she touched his face with her hand.

"I think I can understand what you're saying….By the way, I thought you were supposed to be helping me garden?" She looked at him, raising an eyebrow, and Joe just laughed as he lay back on his elbows on the blanket.

"Oh…well, I just was getting out of going down the street to go shopping…shopping, ugh!" he made a face, and Clarisse only laughed as she stood up.

"Yes, I know how much you love shopping….But, since you said you were going to help me, I think you had better…After all, I'm not going to have you around for a week, so I would like to get as much done as possible…" she smiled winningly down at him, as he made another face.

"Do we have to?" he pretended to look disgusted, but he secretly didn't mind helping her in the garden…just as long as they were together….

"Only for a little while, darling," she said soothingly as he slowly got up, and she retrieved the blanket from the ground. "Then, who knows?" she smiled mysteriously at him as he took her hand with a smile, and they began their walk back up to the palace.


	2. Let's Join Them!

_Author's Note: here's the second chapter- and thank you for everyone who is reading and reviewing for this story, I really appreciate all your reviews! This chapter is for you all!_

_The Princess Diaries belongs to Meg Cabot and Disney_

The faint morning light was beginning to creep into the room when Joseph opened his eyes, two mornings later. He lay there for a moment, wondering why he was waking up so early, but then realised…it was the day of the big camping trip, and they had all agreed to leave as early as possible that morning.

"It'll take us most of the morning to get to our camping spot but then, once we've set up our gear, all we have to do is find the nearest lake or river for us to spend the next five days fishing in!" Shades had said with a grin when they had gone through the plans one last time. Joe had to admit that he was looking forward to this trip, but he was definitely going to miss his wife….

He glanced over at Clarisse, who was facing him, and smiled- she was still fast asleep, but she looked so beautiful and peaceful sleeping…but, he thought with a sheepish grin to himself, he was biased when it came to Clarisse….she looked beautiful, any time of the day or night. He could stare at her all day…she was perplexed when he confessed that he loved looking at her.

"Why on earth would you like to look at me all day…you spent most of your working life looking at me…why now?"

"Because you're the most beautiful woman I know, and I love looking at you….You never seem to be aware of how lovely you really are…" Joe said bashfully, and Clarisse had looked at him for a moment, tears in her eyes, before she leaned over and kissed him without a word.

He was still thinking about that conversation when he glanced casually at his bedside clock, and gave a start- it was after six, and he was supposed to be meeting the others outside at 6:45. He would have to hurry if he wanted to spend a little more time with Clarisse before he left.

He carefully crept out of bed, making sure that he didn't make any movements that would disturb her, and disappeared into the shower…one of the necessities he would miss while he was away, he thought dryly. When he emerged, she was still asleep, but had turned over to face the windows instead. The light was beginning to fill the room, so he was able to check to see whether he had everything- he and Clarisse had packed his bag the evening before, and he knew that Clarisse would have packed everything but…he just wanted to make sure.

As soon as that was done, he tiptoed to her side of the bed, and sat gently down on the bed, smiling down at her peaceful expression, before bending down and tenderly kissing her neck. In her sleep, she smiled, but only stirred a little as she began turning onto her other side again.

"Darling?" he began in a hoarse voice, but there was no sign that she had heard, so he decided to go louder.

"Darling? Are you awake? I'm going to have to go in a few minutes…" he said softly, bending down to kiss her cheek, and almost jumped out of his skin when he realised that her eyes were open, and she was smiling sleepily at him, and facing him completely.

"Do you really have to go now?" she murmured fuzzily, trying to squint over at his clock, but not seeing anything except a blur, before turning to squint at Joseph. "What time is it?"

"6:30," he replied simply, and Clarisse groaned in reply.

Although it had been part of her routine to be up and about at an early hour, since her marriage she had appreciated the fact that she didn't have to hurry out of bed for some early meeting…and she had easily gotten used to sleeping in, especially when Joseph was beside her.

"6:30!" she whimpered, and covered her face with her pillow- just like son and granddaughter after her, Clarisse didn't necessarily like being woken up very early in the morning, unless it was important. Joseph laughed softly, and gently pulled the pillow off her face and out of her grip.

"It's going to be a long trip, so we thought that it would be better if we went a littler earlier…"

"That's the excuse you've decided upon," Clarisse chuckled at him, much wider awake now as she pushed some of her hair behind her ear. "I know what you boys are going to get up to…you want to get as much fishing in as possible!"

"You know me too well," Joseph laughed, bending down to kiss her, and she teasingly wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hey!"

"You can't go now," she said playfully before Joseph pressed his lips on hers, and they shared a long, passionate and sweet kiss.

"By the way I'm going, I'll be lucky to be going at all!" Joseph laughed as he pulled back a little and smiled down at her, almost memorizing her features…he knew her so well, but it still surprised him that she was his, just as he was hers….

"Have a good time," she said in a sing song voice as she relinquished her grasp on his neck, pulling the sheet up over her, as he stretched. "I'll see you in a week."

"I may call you tonight…if we can get reception out there!"

"You won't want to call your wife when you get out there…you'll be having too much fun fishing," she pouted playfully at him, but she was genuinely touched that he would call her, even though he didn't have to!

"Of course I will, sweetheart…I'll see you in a week, and talk to you tonight," he said softly, touching her face once more before standing up, and gathering his belongings from the doorway. He turned in the doorway fully loaded down with gear, and said quietly

"I love you."

"I love you too," Clarisse beamed happily at him. "Now go- and have a good time!"

Clarisse watched him walk towards the main doors, a smile on her face, before taking a quick look at the clock, and groaning…it was way too early for her to be up!

* * *

"Good morning," Joe said briskly as he walked outside into the slightly chilly morning, and noticed, to his chagrin, that everyone else was waiting. "Hey! Where did you manage to get them!" he added, pointing to the two 4WDs and trailer borrowed from the palace garage.

"They're only used for when we need lots of security around the Queen!"

"Easy!" Shades, still wearing his ever present sunglasses, even early in the morning, grinned as he took one of Joe's bags from his hands and tossed it into the back of the second car. "I just said that it was necessary that we borrowed two for a week…and Sebastian backed me up," he added, nodding towards the Prime Minister who just grinned sheepishly.

"So, did you have a bit of trouble getting up this morning?" Shades asked in a low voice as he threw Joe's second bag into the back seat, followed by several sleeping bags.

"Watch it, you," Joe growled good naturedly as Shades slammed the door shut. "I may have retired, but I'm still older than you…By the way, I can imagine how easy it was for you to be up and about," he teased, and Shades just laughed.

It was a well known fact that Shades disliked getting up before 8:00 in the morning, even when he was meant to be on duty an hour earlier….luckily, his mistress (Mia) hated being out of bed earlier than eight, so he was often given a slight reprieve.

"Touché," he grinned at Joseph as they walked back to join the others. "I just don't understand how you used to like getting up so early- it's so weird!"

"So," Nicholas began, glancing at his watch. "How long EXACTLY is this trip going to take?"

"It should take about four hours to get to the campsite, and then the rest of the day is our own, to do what we like" Shades grinned, before looking at his own watch. "Anyway, I think it's time that we go…."

Nicholas and Kip hopped into the second car, while Shades, Sebastian and Joe hopped into the first car.

"There's just one more thing I have to do," Shades, who was driving, said as he started the engine.

"What?" Joe asked, a little nervous about what he would do…and he soon wished he hadn't asked that as Shades loudly revved the engine up several times, loud enough to wake the entire palace…not to mention the entire city of Pyrus!

"What on earth did you do that for?" Joe demanded as they drove the driveway and out the gates, hoping that Clarisse hadn't heard the racket.

"I just thought I'd say goodbye," was all Shades said and Joseph rolled his eyes. He had always suspected that Shades was wild, but he had never realised just how crazy he could be.

"Well, you'll be answering to the Queen and her grandmother when we get back, if they happened to hear that!"

* * *

It was an hour later when Clarisse opened her eyes again, and blinked quickly as the sunlight crashed into her vision. Why on earth had the curtains been opened while she was still asleep, she thought to herself. Surely her maids would have realised that…but, then again, they hadn't opened them for quite a while, as Joseph now usually did it…But what on earth had he been thinking?

She turned onto her side, ready to give him a piece of her mind, when she realised that his side of the bed was empty…Where was he? Surely he hadn't gotten out of bed earlier than she did…they usually got up together…She then remembered the early morning conversation she had had with him earlier, and realised that it hadn't been a dream…He had left on his camping trip that morning…Still, as she glanced at his empty side, there was a slight ache that he wasn't there to kiss her good morning…He always did that, and she loved it…Even when she was slightly out of sorts, a kiss from him seemed to make it all go away.

She lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, before heaving a sigh and slowly pushing the covers back, ready to get up. She wasn't sleepy anymore, and there wasn't much point lying in bed when Joseph wasn't there, so she might as well go and have a cup of tea.

Her maids had already brought the breakfast tray in, and she poured herself a cup of tea before switching the television on to watch the news. She usually didn't watch the news in the morning, but the suite seemed so empty and silent with Joseph…She didn't know how she had managed to get used to (and even like) the stillness of the suite for many years, but since Joseph had moved in, after the wedding, she had grown used to (and liked) having noise in the room…she loved how he talked while in the bathroom, or even sung while in the shower…

She sighed and sat down on the couch, sipping her tea as she watched the news on television…there was nothing of great importance on the news, but she still liked to know what was going on in Genovia, and in the world, even though she wasn't Queen anymore. What was she going to do today? There were plenty of things she could do alone, but she was much used to doing things with Joseph…and there was an entire week to get through…

There was a knock on the door, interrupting her reverie, and she almost spilled her tea onto her bathrobe. Quickly recovering, she called out

"Come in!" and the door opened and Mia and Lily, both clad in their bathrobes, walked into the room.

"Good morning, girls…isn't it rather early for you two to be up?" Clarisse teased, feeling a little better now that she had company.

Lily rolled her eyes and collapsed on a nearby couch, burying her face in a cushion, while Mia calmly poured herself a cup of tea from the teapot on the table. Clarisse looked at her closely- she looked rather pale again, and she seemed to be avoiding looking at the food. However, when Mia turned and smiled at her, she looked better.

"Yes, but I….never mind. Well, I couldn't get back to sleep anyway…"

"Why?" Clarisse asked, turning the sound down on the television, and turning to talk to Mia, who sat down on the couch next to her.

"There's no way I would have missed Nicholas leaving this morning! He was crashing around the room so much, bumping into things but trying to be quiet, that I finally took pity on him and turned the light on to let him see where he was going!" Mia said, a fond smile on her lips. "And Lily, poor girl, heard them leave this morning!"

"I bet Scott revved that engine up on purpose," came Lily's muffled response from within the cushion, and Mia and Clarisse exchanged a smile.

"Really? I didn't hear anything at all…actually, Joseph had to wake me to tell me he was leaving," Clarisse said with an affectionate smile, and Mia had to laugh at her.

"Joseph is one of the most considerate men I know, and I know he would not wake you up on purpose, unless he had to….Actually," Mia amended with a shy smile. "I thought it was rather adorable that Nick was trying to be quiet, but making a huge amount of noise instead…" before she chuckled softly to herself.

"So," Clarisse said, breaking the silence. "What are your plans for today?"

"I'm going to enjoy the peace and quiet of the palace, without all the noisy men around… thank goodness there's nothing I have to do, or anyone I have to see…I think I'm just going to laze around for the next week…What about you?"

"Hmmm…there are some things I need to do, but I'm not going to do very much either," Clarisse was non committal, pretending that she didn't miss Joseph badly already….and they had only been apart two hours.

* * *

Meanwhile, several hours later, the two black four wheel drive cars finally arrived at their campsite, high in the hills near Lybitt, and the men spilled out of the cars.

"Thank goodness that ride's over," Joe said as he got out of the first car, looking slightly harried. "Scott, if I'm travelling back with you, I insist that we don't listen to that music again!"

"What were you listening to?" Kip asked interestedly and Joe and Sebastian exchanged a look as they opened the back of their car, and began unloading gear.

"Some music that Scott says is great to dance to, but I think is complete rubbish…and I'm sure Charlotte would agree with me!" Joe looked across at Shades, who only laughed and was completely unfazed by Joe's opinion.

"As a matter of fact, Charlotte likes some of those songs" Shades said in defense, but Joseph only snorted in disgust.

"Alright, I understand that you don't like that type of music, so I'll put the radio on next time."

"This place is great" Nicholas said, completely missing the conversation, looking around in wonder- the forest bordering their camp was green and lush, and, according to Joseph, there was a big river just a few kilometers to the north.

"Perfect fishing spot," Sebastian said decisively, and the rest of them agreed.

"I guess it's time to set up," Joe said with a heavy sigh when the two cars were finally emptied of their cargo, and they were surrounded by a surprising amount of luggage.

"I thought we agreed on a tent each, our fishing rods, two bags or less of our personal belongings, and share the food," Joe said with a slightly shocked look- it suddenly seemed to be that there was more equipment than he had imagined.

"Well, we thought that we should get enough food to last a week, as well as some drinks," Shades defended his decision as Sebastian and Joe exchanged a skeptical look.

"But you still brought an awful lot, Scott," Kip volunteered reluctantly, looking from himself to Shades- while the rest of them had brought two smallish bags, Scott bought at least four.

"You're worse than any of the women," Nicholas said in slight disgust, and Shades only shrugged his shoulders.

"You never know who you're going to meet!"

"We're nowhere near Lybitt, so it wasn't much point bringing good clothes…and don't let Charlotte hear you say that," Nicholas continued, before Joe interrupted the discussion. He really didn't want to break up any squabbles- particularly five minutes after they had arrived- they were, after all, supposed to be on holiday.

"It doesn't matter- we're here now, and we've got to set up our tents!"

000000000000000

As they had all been camping before, it was relatively easy for them to set up their tents, and it was just after two when they were sitting down, eating a belated lunch packed by the kitchen at the palace.

"This is the life," Shades sighed happily as he looked around him. "There's nothing here but lots of fresh air, a river to fish in, plenty of space….and none of the women!"

"You're going to get yourself into trouble one day, Scott," Sebastian chided gently, but they all knew that he was crazy about Charlotte. "If I was Charlotte, I wouldn't put up with you!"

"They had been working together for ten years, and they didn't manage to get together until 8 months ago…not unless you count the time they had a bit of a sticky moment at the coronation!" Joseph said with a laugh, and Scott shot him a cheeky look.

"That's a bit rich from you, Joe, seeing as you and your wife pretended not to have feelings for each other, and hid it for nearly 25 years," Shades retorted.

"Touché," Joe said with a laugh. "But, to give you a little advice, don't wait that long to marry any woman…I wouldn't recommend it!"

"So, are we going to have a campfire while we're here?" Kip asked, looking directly at the cleared spot where they had decided to have their campfire.

"I've checked with the rangers around here, and they said it should be fine- as long as we keep an eye on it at all times," Sebastian said, taking a swig of his coffee.

"I think that there's plenty of firewood in the forest, and we could keep a big stack nearby."

"I think I'll go start looking for firewood," Joe volunteered, throwing his rubbish in the temporary 'rubbish bag' and stood up, brushing crumbs off his pants.

He did want to go and get firewood, but he also wanted to see if he could get mobile phone reception…he missed Clarisse dreadfully, and it was only 5 hours into their week long 'exile'! He had brought three mobile phones- three of his own, and one he borrowed from the security guards, just in case.

"I'll come with you," Nicholas added hurriedly, standing up and walking over to him. Joe gave him a slight look before shaking off the feeling and smiling.

"I'd be glad to have you along…let's go!"

They walked deep into the forest, well out of sight of the others, before Nicholas stopped and looked at him.

"You miss her, don't you?" Joe looked startled for a moment, stunned at how observant and intuitive the young man was, before smiling slightly.

"Am I that obvious?"

"Don't worry, the others wouldn't notice…but you do miss her?"

"Yes, I do. We've been married 14 months, but after all the time we've spent apart…."

"Don't worry, Joe. I can sort of understand how you're feeling…I'm missing Mia too…So, what are you doing?" he asked as Joe took one of his phones out of his pocket, and switched it on. "Oh…you're trying to see if you can get mobile phone reception around here?"

"Yes…and I'm thinking that, if I can get high enough, that might give me some bars of reception…But we'll have to keep walking for a while- I think I remember that there was a big rock around here, and that's pretty high…"

"As long as you can climb it with your knees," Nicholas said wisely, with concern in his voice, and Joe looked at him in astonishment.

"Mia told me," Nicholas said sheepishly. "She was actually a little concerned about you and this trip…."

"I'm fine…but yes, I hope I can climb that rock," Joe said, trying to hide the fact that he was touched that Mia had been so concerned about him.

The two men walked along in silence for a time, before Nicholas asked another question.

"Are the two of you happy? I mean, it must be a little weird being accepted as a couple when you've been in hiding for so long…"

"I know what you mean, Nicholas, and yes, we're very happy together." Joseph paused, feeling slightly embarrassed about talking about his feelings to someone other than Joseph, but he sensed that this would be an ideal time to connect with the young man.

"I can't explain it, but I always knew Clarisse was the one for me…she's beautiful both on the outside and inside…she's kind, caring and generous…there are just so many things I love about her…."

"She is lovely, but I still feel rather intimidated around her…I still remember what my uncle tried to do with Mia…"

Joe stopped and turned to look directly at Nicholas.

"That is all over and done with, Nick. She wouldn't have let you marry her granddaughter if she had been angry with you. I think that's been a problem for her," he sighed heavily.

"Most people feel that she's intimidating and cold but I can tell you that that is only a façade…she is very different to what people see her as…She's warm, funny, sensitive…and I'm biased, but she is…and I think she would be hurt that you feel that way being around her. She adores Mia unconditionally, and she's very fond of you- you've made Mia so happy, and that's all that matters to her. Does that help you at all?"

"Yes," Nicholas said with a bashful smile, and they continued walking on in silence, as Joe watched his mobile phone screen…still no reception.

"Joe? Can I tell you a little secret? As long as you don't tell anyone…especially the guys…I think Mia would kill me if I told anyone before she told Clarisse….but I really would…."

"Nick, I've been the keeper of the Queen's secrets for almost 30 years, and I know how to keep secrets…so, what is it?"

Nicholas took a deep breath, and then looked at Joe, a smile playing on his lips.

"How do you think Clarisse would feel if she knew that she may be a great-grandmother sometime soon?"

"What….What?" Joe repeated, suddenly realizing what Nicholas was trying to say. "Are you…is it…could it…"Joe, stunned, could only stammer and Nicholas smiled happily at him.

"Yes, Mia and I could possibly be expecting an arrival next year."

"Well, I can definitely tell you, with 100 certainty, that Clarisse would be absolutely delighted…ecstatic…hey, I'm that now, and you don't know whether it's true or not!" Joe cried, feeling incredibly happy.

He loved Mia like his own granddaughter (which, in a way, she was), and he knew how wonderful it would be…Clarisse would literally be over the moon….

'I don't know yet, and Mia isn't sure yet, but please, don't tell any of the other guys, just yet! I know Mia would like you to know, as she's going to tell Clarisse as soon as it's confirmed…"

"I promise I won't say a word…"Joe said with a fond smile, and then looked at his phone again- there were four bars of reception, and they weren't anywhere near the rock he had seen…in fact, he estimated that they were about a kilometer or so away from camp.

"Look!" he held the phone up victoriously, and Nicholas grinned.

"It looks like Her Majesty will be getting a phone call from her husband tonight!"

"Looks like it," Joe said, turning the phone off and putting it in his pocket. "But now I think we'd better find some wood to take back to camp, otherwise the boys are going to wonder what we're doing…but you won't tell…"

"Joe, we'll keep each other's secrets," Nicholas said with a reassuring smile.

* * *

Clarisse sighed and tossed her book onto the couch beside her- she wasn't in the mood to read the book, even though it was one that she had been dying to read for two months…But now, even when she had the opportunity, she didn't feel like it. She stood up and stretched, before walking over to the windows- it was now mid afternoon, and the sun was beginning to head towards the horizon…she usually enjoyed watching these afternoon sun sets, but her mind wasn't on it…

It had been the longest day in her life, (or felt like it, she thought with a grin) and it was only the first day…She was listless and bored, and she knew why…she missed Joseph like crazy…At first, it had only been a slight twinge, but now she was beginning to feel sad…it was crazy, she told herself sternly, he would only be gone a week, but she was acting as though he had abandoned her!

She looked back in the room and thought about what she had done that day- she had watched one of the movies Joe complained was 'too boring and soppy', and had gone for a long walk in the garden…but it hadn't been the same without Joseph. She wondered what they were doing- probably fishing, she thought with a smile, as they had planned to do….

Just then, a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, but before she could respond, the door opened and in walked Mia, carrying two bottles of wine, followed by Lily, Charlotte and Sheila Motez, all carrying glasses or nibbles.

"What's going on?" Clarisse asked in surprise, and Mia grinned as she set the bottles down on the table.

"We figured that you would be bored now…as we were," she added, exchanging a knowing look with Lily. "So, we figured we'd make the most of being 'single' and have a little party….wine?" she held the bottle out to Clarisse, who only laughed. Trust Mia to come up with an idea like that…but, she had to admit, it was appealing to share a glass of wine with some of the women closest to her.

"Why not?" Clarisse said with a grin, accepting a glass from Lily, and holding it out as Mia filled the glass. Soon all of them had wine, except Mia, who was drinking soft drink.

"I just don't feel like wine tonight," she said by way of explanation, and Clarisse's eyes narrowed thoughtfully- Mia usually liked to join in with what everyone was doing, but not to do this…This symptom was strangely familiar to her, but she couldn't remember where she had heard it….

"To freedom for an entire week without our other halves" Lily toasted, and they all clinked glasses with wide smiles.

"To freedom," the rest of the group chorused.

"So, what did you two girls get up to today?" Clarisse asked, sitting down in her favourite chair, and feeling much better that she had company again.

"Nothing much….Lily and I watched a couple of movies, and went for a long walk, but we've just been hanging around the palace all day…What about you?"

"Hmm, just a little bit of this and that," Clarisse was being deliberately vague- she didn't want anyone knowing that she was missing Joseph, but Mia's pensive look in her direction told her that at least one person saw through it.

"What about you, Charlotte?" she asked, turning to Charlotte.

"Sheila and I went shopping in Pyrus for a couple of hours, and I had lunch with a friend- actually, it was quite relaxing…."

There was a long silence, as the women sipped their wine and tried to think of something else to say, before Mia broke the moment.

"You know, who would have thought that the boys, who drive us absolutely crazy all the time, contribute so much to the atmosphere of the palace…it's so quiet around here!"

"It's actually quite nice to have that noisy bunch of guys around," Lily said pensively, pouring herself another glass of wine. "I wonder what they're doing right now?"

"Oh, this is ridiculous!" Mia cried, standing up. "We're all acting as if we've been abandoned…it's only going to be a week! I….I actually have a crazy idea- why don't we go and join them?"

There was a murmur of interest from the rest of the group, before Mia continued.

"I haven't been camping in ages, but I think it would be fun to get away from all this," she waved around the room for a moment. "And, it would be much cooler there then here….so," she said, looking around the room expectantly. "Who else would be in?"

There was a long silence as the other four women looked at each other, before Clarisse spoke.

"I haven't been camping ever, but I would like to experience this…I'm in," she said with a wide smile at Mia, who visibly relaxed. She had been a little worried that her grandmother wouldn't come, but she hadn't realised how badly she missed Joseph.

"Yes, I'm in too," Lily said eagerly, and the other two chimed in as well.

"So, when would we go?" Sheila asked curiously, and Mia grinned happily.

"I think, if I made a few calls now, we could have all the equipment and transportation necessary….we actually don't need a lot….we could go tomorrow morning! I'd like to make another toast" she said, holding up her glass of soft drink.

"To having a good time camping!"

"To having a good time camping!" the others chorused, and they all started laughing….the boys were going to be so surprised tomorrow afternoon!"


	3. Late Night Phone Call

_Author's Note: This is such a fun story and thanx to all those who are reading and reviewing!_

_The Princess Diaries belongs to Meg Cabot and Disney_

The sun had disappeared behind the trees, and the air was beginning to cool when the campers finally lit their campfire. They had spent most of the afternoon searching the forest for firewood, and Kip and Nicholas had even managed to catch three fish from the river before it got too dark to see.

Joe and Sebastian had had a hasty discussion about the weather conditions- it was a clear, starry night, very little breeze but a slight sting to the air, and they both agreed that it would be alright to light the fire.

"Great fire," Shades said admiringly as they stood back and watched the fire begin to devour the dry wood and sticks they had picked up, and begin to grow higher. "It'll be perfect to cook the fish on…by the way, what else are we going to have for dinner?"

"As usual, thinking of your stomach," Nicholas said with a slight chuckle.

"I don't know what we have…we'd have to check the supplies, but we can't have a giant pig out on the first night- remember, we have to have enough food for the rest of the week. I, for one, am not going into Lybitt to get more food."

"So, if we run out, we'll starve?" Shades looked slightly annoyed, and Joe nodded.

"Unless you would like to go hunting out the forest, yes."

"Here's the fry pan," Kip said quietly, emerging from the tent with a large fry pan, and waving it in front of the others. "Where on earth did you find this, Shades?"

"You borrowed that without permission, didn't you?" Nicholas asked in amusement, and Shades shrugged his shoulders.

"The kitchen doesn't use it that much, and it'll be back in a week," he said, before Nicholas laughed.

"So, who can cook around here?" he continued, looking around at the others. Kip silently shook his head, quickly followed by Sebastian.

"I'm more of a gourmet cook, but I'll give this a go," Nicholas said enthusiastically as Shades shoved the fry pan in his hands.

"I'll give you a hand, Nick," Joseph added quickly, getting up from his chair, and walking over toward the temporary tent they had set up for their food and supplies.

"We'll be expecting a three course meal," Sebastian joked as Joe disappeared into the tent, but he emerged to give the group a slightly pitying look.

"If that's what you're after, you'd better go back to the palace for that!"

0000000000000

"Isn't this the life," Shades began, an hour or so later, as he finished cleaning his plate, and taking a swig of his nearby drink. "A star filled night, away from all civilization, and surrounded by god friends…I think I could do this all the time!"

He leaned back in his chair and sighed contentedly, before Joe jokingly shoved the pile of plates he had collected, as well as the cool fry pan, into his lap.

"Hey! What are you doing that for?" Shades asked in protest.

"Well, since Nicholas and I do the cooking, you, Kip and Sebastian can do the washing up," Joe said, sitting down in his chair next to Nicholas, and openly laughing at the disgusted look on Shade's face.

"Don't tell me you haven't washed up before?"

"Yes, I have…I just choose not to do it all the time…I usually do it, maybe, once a week, or less, depending on my schedule…" he pretended to look pompous, and the others laughed, knowing that his schedule depended on the Queen's.

"No wonder I can smell something from your end of the hallway when I walk down there in the morning," Kip said with a chuckle before ducking, narrowly missing a piece of bread that Shades had thrown.

"I just hope you haven't shown Charlotte your mess of a room…I was disgusted enough the last time I was in there," Joe said, taking a swig of his drink.

"It has character," Shades said as he stood up and walked over to the temporary washing up stand, and large container that they had brought for washing up. Kip had just poured in hot water from the campfire kettle into it, but Scott obviously hadn't seen that as he let out a yet when he plunged his hands into the steaming water.

"That's hot!" he bellowed, pulling his hands straight out again.

"I did just pour some very hot water into it," Kip chided as the other three hid smiles- it was funny seeing everyone so domesticated, either cooking or washing up…even squabbling over who was going to wash up or cook. They knew that the women wouldn't believe their eyes if they saw this….!

"Gosh, imagine if Charlotte saw Scott washing up!" Nicholas, unable to contain his mirth, finally burst out laughing, as Shades turned and gave him a withering look, rubbing his hands dry with a towel. After a moment, as his hands returned to their normal colour, he managed to chuckle sheepishly.

"I think she'd be laughing harder than you at what I just did…she just loves seeing me make a fool of myself…not that it happens very often," he added hastily, mindful to keep his reputation in tact.

"You wouldn't see me doing this back at the palace….not even for a million dollars!" he added jokingly, before turning and beginning the washing up.

Joe laughed at the sight of his former colleague washing up, before sighing slightly and looking back into the fire. He wondered what Clarisse was up too….a discreet look at his watch told him it was coming up to eight o'clock…he would give her a call in another hour or so- he just had to make sure that everyone had gone to bed before he disappeared….

"I wonder what the girls are getting up to in our absence," Sebastian said from the other side of the fire, and Joseph smiled- it was if he had read his mind.

"If I know Lily, she would have rounded them all up to have a party!" Kip said with a laugh as he dried another plate.

"I think Mia would have been more than happy to go along with it," Nicholas added with a chuckle.

"I bet they aren't missing us at all…." Shades said with a grin, and the others nodded.

"It would have been interesting to see how they would have coped if they had come along on this trip….imagine what they have been like…."

"No showers," Sebastian said with a broad grin.

"No phones," Kip added with a quiet smile, as Joe felt a slight squirming feeling inside. They all thought that they were unreachable….little did they know what he was going to do later.

"No maids or comfy beds," Nicholas finished with a laugh. "Still, it would have been fun to have them along…"

He sounded slightly wistful at the end of his sentence as, for a moment, each of them wondered what their other half was doing back in Pyrus.

"Perhaps it might have been," Shades said nonchalantly as he poured the washing water out, and leaned the container against a nearby tree. "Still, it doesn't matter now…speaking of, what are we going to do?" he asked as he flopped into his chair.

"When my friends and I went camping, we used to tell scary stories…Joe, Sebastian, do you know any scary stories…like of something weird that happened around here?"

"Mmmm," Sebastian said thoughtfully, thinking hard. "I know…this happened a long, long time ago, apparently, but there is this legend of the forests around here being haunted…"

"Haunted?" Shades, Nicholas and Kip, leaning forward in their chairs, said together, looking slightly skeptical but interested. Joe, who had heard the story many, many times before, chuckled to himself for a moment, before he realised that this could be the perfect opportunity to make his phone call…He stood up, hoping to disappear silently, but attracted the attention of the others.

"Where are _you_ going? Are you too scared to sit and listen?" Shades asked, a grin on his face.

"I've actually heard this story many times before, and I don't need to hear it again…I was actually going to go for a stroll into the forest for a little while, to find some more wood…I hope I'll come back alive," he said in a spooky voice, and both Kip and Nicholas looked slightly nervous.

"Have fun!" Joe said, winking at Sebastian, before disappearing into the dark woods…..

* * *

In the meantime, back at the palace, Clarisse was busily sorting out clothes to pack for the trip the next day. Within an hour of formulating the plan, Mia had disappeared and, several calls later, came back victorious.

"Everything we need will be dropped off with security later tonight, so we'll be all set to leave early in the morning!"

After her announcement, the small party broke up as they all had to go and get packed. Clarisse had a quick dinner before striding into the bedroom and began rummaging though the wardrobe. After going through a rack of her own clothes, she realised that most of her clothes were inappropriate to go camping, although she had found some good stuff. She looked at her clothes thoughtfully for a moment, before her eyes wandered to Josephs' side of the wardrobe…and she decided to invade his side…She had always wanted to try on some of his clothes (in the privacy of their own suite, of course), and he had often joked about making her wear it for the entire day.

"I'd love to see how most people would react if you wore one of my flannelette shirts and jeans…I think most people would be shocked," Joe said with a loud laugh, picturing the scene- his ladylike wife dressed in some of his clothes…People would be shocked!

"You never know what I may do," Clarisse said mysteriously….and now, here she was!

Soon enough, she had enough clothes, both hers and his, to last a week out in the bush- including her bathing suit- and she went searching for a bag to put it all in. Suitcases were too cumbersome and heavy…she soon found one of Phillipe's duffle bags in one of the spare wardrobes, and she smiled as she held it up.

"Perfect!"

She was just beginning to pack her cosmetics in with the clothes, when the phone rang. Knowing Mia liked to have prank calls, she ignored it for several rings, but then realised that Joseph had promised to call that night, and she rushed to the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello you. It took you long enough to answer the phone!" her already wide smile broadened at the sound of the familiar voice on the other end- it was Joseph!

"I thought it was Mia, fooling around as she usually does…I'm sorry," she sounded penitent, and he laughed.

"It doesn't matter, sweetheart. We're talking to each other now- and, besides, I would have kept calling you until you answered!"

"Yes, I know you would have…even if it had been at midnight! How are you managing to talk to me then?"

"I brought at least three mobile phones with me, and I found a perfect spot where I get reception, so…."

"I actually didn't think you would do it…I thought you would be having too much fun with the others….but I'm glad you did," she added softly.

"I'm glad I did too," he said equally as softly.

"So," Clarisse said after a pause. "How is everything going there?"

"It's actually going very well…Shades and Kip were being very domestic, washing up for us, and Nicholas and I cooked dinner…."  
"That does sound very domestic!"

"Actually, we almost had our first squabble when we arrived- you know how we only packed two bags last night?"

"Of course- and I can't believe that was it!"

"Yes, anyway, the rest of us had brought our two bags, but guess who decided to bring 4?"

"Scott," Clarisse said with a smile. "I guess he was being extra prepared!"

"By the way, did you hear any loud noises out the front of the palace this morning?"

"Joseph, my love, I went back to sleep as soon as you left, and I didn't hear a thing…but, apparently Lily did…why?"

"Shades thought it would be funny to rev the engines up before we left…just a little goodbye message!" Joseph sounded slightly annoyed, but Clarisse burst out laughing.

"At least Scott makes your life interesting!" she said between fits of laughter, and Joe finally had to start laughing as well.

"But we haven't had a chance to do much else…we spent most of the afternoon looking for firewood for the fire. But, Kip and Nick did catch three fish for part of our dinner…"

"It sounds like you're having a lot of fun up there!" Clarisse said with a smile, dying to tell him her news, but wanting to keep it a surprise.

"What about you? What have you been doing all day?"

"After sleeping in, I watched the news, went for a walk around the garden, read a book…actually, the day flew by so fast that I can't remember what I did today!" Clarisse was relieved that he wasn't there- he always seemed to know when she was telling fibs (not that she did it that often), and he could easily get whatever she was hiding out of her by kissing her…

"Sounds like you were busy…how are Mia and the girls?"

"They're fine…we had a little gathering here before, and it was quite a lot of fun."

"Oh, I wondered when you'd have your first party without me there…I didn't imagine it was going to be about 12 hours after I left!" Joe joked, pretending to sound offended, but laughing.

"It wasn't my idea, darling, Mia and the other girls showed up…It was only good manners to join in and have some wine with them," Clarisse mock protested, but was laughing almost as hard as Joseph. That was one of the best things about being married to him- they were always laughing at something, or joking around with each other….

"I bet!" Joe retorted, and then continued laughing. Just hearing the sound of her voice assuaged his feelings…he hadn't counted on missing her so much, but he did…as he said to Nicholas before, although everyone else had a different view of her, he knew that she was a lot of fun, happy and cheerful…and this time away had made him realise just how much he loved her…

Clarisse, on the other end of the phone, was feeling like a schoolgirl- 14 months of marriage, over 25 years of skirting around the issue of their developing romance, and the man still made her heart race!

"What are your plans for the rest of the week?" Joe changed the subject- he knew that if he was going to make the batteries in the phone last another day (at least), he would have to get off the phone, but he wanted to keep talking to her…suddenly, a whole week without her seemed impossible…

"I haven't got anything really concrete in mind…maybe some shopping in town, maybe a little gardening…who knows?" Clarisse said in a light voice, hating to lie to her husband, but wanting to keep their trip tomorrow a surprise. "What about you?"

"Probably a lot of fishing and hiking….maybe even some swimming…I don't know, I'll see what the boys want to do."

"Well, don't get up to too much mischief while you're away, or find any pretty girls up there…remember, you're a married man now!"

"I very much doubt we'll get up to too much mischief…and we're at least 40 kilometres away from Lybitt, so no pretty girls…As if any of them would measure up to you!" his voice turned tender at the last part, and Clarisse blushed at her end.

"Stop it, you're embarrassing me!"

"You're never going to believe how beautiful you are, are you?" Joe said in a gentle voice.

"It's not very Queen like behaviour to be vain about one's looks," she protested.

"I don't care…you're the most beautiful woman I know, and I'm going to keep telling you that every day!"

"Alright, but it'll be your fault if I get vain," Clarisse teased in a sing song voice, and he chuckled huskily.

"I'll agree to that now…But I don't think you'll ever get vain..."

"We'll see about that," Clarisse chuckled in a low voice. "You never know….."

There was a long pause as they just enjoyed the moment between them, before Clarisse regretfully glanced at his bedside clock- it was coming up to nine o'clock, she needed to finish packing and have an early night….but she didn't want to…but had to…

"I think I had better let you go now, otherwise your battery is going to go dead in the middle of the conversation," Clarisse said with a little sigh- they had been talking for nearly half an hour, and although she loved every second, she was mindful that his battery couldn't be recharged until he returned…..Not that it mattered after tomorrow, she thought with a small giggle.

"I'll give you a call tomorrow night, alright darling?"

"I'd love that…and I love you, darling" she added softly, missing him badly, but remembering that she would see him the next afternoon.

"I love you too, sweetheart. This time alright?"

"Perfect…talk to you tomorrow…" she had almost slipped and said 'see' but narrowly avoided it.

"Talk to you tomorrow…"

She stared the phone for a moment after they hung up, wishing she was still talking to him, before realizing she still had a bit of packing to do. She was almost finished packing when she heard a soft knock on the door.

"Who could it be at this hour?" she asked softly to herself as she walked over to the door, and opened it to find Mia standing there, looking extremely happy.

"Mia! What's wrong?" Clarisse asked, stepping back to let her in, and Mia only laughed.

"I'm smiling, and you ask if there's something wrong. You've got an imagination, Grandma!"

"I just wondered…it's almost 9:00 at night, and you should be doing your packing…."Clarisse trailed off as Mia sat down in one of her chairs, and smiled up at her. Clarisse was suddenly struck by a thought- what if she had decided not to go, after all?"

"I'm almost packed, Grandma, and I'm looking forward to seeing Nick tomorrow…I guess you miss Joe pretty badly as well, don't you?"  
"I…well, I…"Clarisse stammered, before nodding. "Yes I do- very much."

"I knew it- I could tell it by your eyes this afternoon!"

"I know it's silly…we've been married for 14 months, but after all the years…."

"I understand, Grandma," Mia said in a soft voice, smiling affectionately at her grandmother. "I think it's absolutely beautiful to see how crazy you two are about each other…I think the years you spent apart have made you love each other more…if that makes sense."

"It does, and I do…."Clarisse said, smiling dreamily into the distance, before turning back to Mia. "So. What do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"I came to tell you a secret- but you can only tell Joe…no one else," Mia said shyly, and Clarisse suddenly remembered Mia being unwell over the past few days, and the fact that she wasn't drinking any wine….She suddenly remembered where she had known those symptoms….she had suffered them herself, many years ago….

"Yes…"Clarisse said, pretending not to be on the edge of her seat, but she realised what her granddaughter was going to tell her.

"I'm pregnant," Mia said simply, a glowing look in her eyes. Clarisse sat still in her chair for a moment, before beginning to beam happily.

"Congratulations, my darling girl….you're going to be a mother!" she laughed out loud, so happy that she could shout the news from rooftops, and walked over to give Mia a long embrace.

"And you're going to be a great-grandmother," Mia teased into her ear, and Clarisse pretended to look disgusted when they broke apart, but they both knew that Clarisse was genuinely over the moon about the news. She only wished that Phillipe had been here to hear the news…

"That means Joe will be a great-grandfather…I wonder how he'll handle that?" Mia said with a giggle when they finally sat back down again, and Clarisse looked at her in awe. She looked so happy, radiant and excited- she looked so beautiful, as there was such a glow about her…

"I'll make sure he can handle it," Clarisse joked. "Don't worry, he's going to be as happy as I am….How are you feeling? Should you be going camping?"

"I'm fine, Grandma…I've had some bad morning sickness on the way, but I feel fine most of the time. And yes, I should be going camping- I can't wait to see Nick."

"Does he know yet?"

"We had our suspicions before he left, but he's going to be so excited when I tell him," Mia said with a dreamy smile- she couldn't wait to tell him.

Clarisse smiled fondly at her- she could well imagine the excitement that Nicholas would have when Mia told him…Rupert, on the other hand, had been rather off hand about the whole thing…he had been excited, but it was also a requirement- the obligatory heir and a spare…Not that it had mattered to her- she had loved every minute with both her boys, and she would have the chance to enjoy it again, as a grandmother….

"I had better go," Mia said after a moment, yawning. 'I've got a little more packing to do, and I want to have an early night…."

"Yes, that's what I was planning to do," Clarisse said, following Mia to the door.

"So, is it 6:00 out in the hallway?" Mia turned back to her for a minute, and Clarisse nodded.

"I would set my alarm for 5:15, just to make sure," she teased gently, before hugging Mia again….This was such wonderful news….

"I will….good night, Grandma," Mia smiled tenderly at her grandmother.

"Good night, darling…see you in the morning," Clarisse said, softly brushing her cheek, before Mia turned and left the room.

Clarisse shut the door behind her, and leant against it for a moment- her granddaughter was having a baby! She couldn't wait to tell Joseph….only a few hours away!


	4. Surprise!

_Author's Note: Thank you to everyone for their lovely reviews- I'm really into writing this story, but don't worry, I won't forget about the other one either! _

_The Princess Diaries belongs to Meg Cabot and Disney._

When she first heard the alarm early the next morning, Clarisse was tempted to throw a pillow at it or, better yet, throw a pillow at Joseph to shut it off for her. Why on earth had it been set for such an early hour, she complained quietly to herself as she rolled over to look at the clock. Still half asleep, she fuzzily squinted at the clock, and when she saw that it was 5:45, she groaned and buried her face into a nearby pillow. She then realised why she had set it so early- she, along with Mia, Charlotte, Sheila and Lily, were going to join the men camping!

She suddenly didn't feel sleepy anymore, and there was now a bubble of excitement in her stomach as she realised that, in a few hours, she would be seeing Joseph again! It was ridiculous, she said to herself as she turned onto her back, to feel as if she hadn't seen Joseph in days…but she was absolutely crazy for the man she had loved for a long, long time, and she didn't care who knew it! She grinned to herself as she stared up at the ceiling for a moment, the early morning light slowly beginning to creep in from the windows…she couldn't wait to see his face when she stepped out of the car. It had been rather difficult to keep the surprise from him the previous night- he was usually able to get any secret out of her, but she was grateful that they had been talking via phone…. However, it wouldn't be too long now, and it would be more than worth it when they saw each other!

She hadn't realised how much she would miss him while he was away- even if was only for a week- but, since they had spent almost all of their time together since their wedding the previous July, it was understandable. She smiled to herself- not only was she excited to see Joseph again, but she was also looking forward to the experience of camping…She had never been before, and she had definitely hadn't thought that she would ever go camping…Rupert and the boys had gone every summer for years, and while she hadn't been inclined to go along, it would have been nice to have an invitation extended to her…She had been invited once, by Phillipe- he had been 12 at the time, Pierre two years older….

000000000000000000

"_Why don't you come with us, Mama? I'm sure we've got enough room for you," he had asked earnestly when she had come into his room for a brief visit. She had made it a rule that she spent some time with both boys every day, and she enjoyed the time, particularly with Phillipe, who was more like her than she realised…Pierre, on the other hand, was cooler and more distant (like his father), and preferred his privacy._

"_Thank you, darling," she had said, gratified, looking into the blue eyes she knew and loved so well. "But I don't think I could survive in the wilderness for four days…"_

"I'll help you," Phillipe said helpfully, and Clarisse chuckled softly. "Come on, Mama, it's going to be great fun…some of the security guys are going to try and see if they can build a big fire for us!"

His eyes glowed with excitement, and Clarisse smiled- she knew how much Phillipe loved these outings. 

"_Besides, we could spend some time together, just the four of us…we never do that anymore…Papa is always travelling," he finished with a wistful look. _

_Clarisse stared at him for a moment, astonished- even at 12, he was amazingly intuitive, and could sense that the family unit was falling apart…Rupert had been travelling a lot in the past few months and, when he was home, he didn't spend as much time with the boys as Clarisse did._

"_I would have thought you would have been glad not to see your mother for a few days," she said teasingly, but Phillipe only shook his head._

"_I'm not," he said firmly. "Please come," he begged her, and Clarisse sighed._

"_I'll tell you what- when you come back, how about you and I go for a picnic into the woods one day…and you can invite your brother too!"_

"_He won't come," Phillipe said bluntly, as the knife twisted slightly into Clarisse's heart as she knew that it was true. "But I will," he added, smiling happily at Clarisse before he bounded over to give her a hug…_

0000000000000000

Clarisse smiled fondly at the memory- he had always been such a kind and compassionate boy, and they had always been very close…His death, eight years ago, still hurt her in some ways, but time had dimmed the pain…not to mention the presence of both Mia and Joseph in her life…They, in their very different ways, had been the healing balm on the wounds in her heart, and she couldn't ever imagine what her life would have been like if neither of them had been there…

She shuddered, unable to picture the impossible but realizing that she was incredibly lucky in her life now, before glancing at her clock, and sitting bolt upright in bed- it was almost five past six, and they had agreed to meet in the hallway at 6:30! As much as she liked lying in, it was time to get a move on!

Fifteen minutes later, after a shower (and trying not to think that she wouldn't have another one of those for a few days), she sat down and had a cup of tea and a piece of toast. Her maids had brought in her breakfast earlier, and she didn't want to get hungry later. She had never been up this early, but she did like seeing the morning light creep into the room, making the dark room lighter by each moment. She had already dressed- she had thrown on some of Joseph's old clothes- a pair of his jeans (with a belt), one of her own shirts with one of his flannelette shirts over the top, and her sturdiest shoes.

After her brief breakfast, she couldn't resist glancing at her reflection in the mirror with a broad grin- she definitely didn't look like a Queen, especially when she put on one of her gardening hats…in fact, she almost didn't recognize herself…Joseph was going to have trouble recognising her…At the though of Joseph, she beamed happily at the thought of his surprised expression, before a quick glance at her watch told her that she was going to be late……

* * *

"Good morning!" she called cheerfully a few moments later as she walked easily down stairs, carrying her two bags of belongings, and smiling at the scene awaiting her. Charlotte and Sheila, dressed casually and looking very wide awake, were chatting near the doorway, their luggage was nearby as they turned to greet Clarisse. The younger generation, however, was a different story altogether. They had obviously managed to make it downstairs, but both were slumped in chairs, sleepily looking around, and not talking much. Clarisse almost laughed, but stopped short when she saw the amount of luggage that surrounded them….

"What on earth….," she began when she got to the bottom of the stairs as Charlotte walked over to take her bags from her, and Lily and Mia blearily waved a hand in her direction.

"Isn't it great to see how much our two young ladies are going to bring?" Charlotte said with a wry smile as she deposited Clarisse's luggage next to her own, and then rejoined Sheila and Clarisse, who were standing in front of the enormous pile of luggage.

Clarisse looked absolutely staggered- she had never imagined that the girls would pack so much….it was understandable for a foreign tour, but a simple camping trip! From what Joseph had told her, it seemed to be less would be better- she herself was relatively simple….but this, this really took the cake!

"So, you two, how much were you exactly intending on bringing?" she finally asked when she had recovered from her shock. Mia sat up in her chair, yawning, and looked at Clarisse with a smile.

"You never know what you're going to need!"

"You two are almost as bad as Scott- he took 4 bags, as compared to the average of two!" Charlotte retorted as Lily woke herself up, sitting up in her chair and looking around with a bewildered gaze.

"What's going on? Is it time to go already?"

"You surely can't be taking all of this, Amelia," Clarisse said as she slowly began picking her way through the bags of clothes, and Mia giggled before Clarisse, slightly disgusted at the amount of clothing her granddaughter was taking, stepped back and put her hands on her hips.

"No, you can't take all of this- this is simply preposterous!" she said firmly as Mia's eyes began to sparkle with mischief.

"How much are you taking?" she asked, slightly insolently as Clarisse exchanged an exasperated look with Charlotte. She had forgotten how cheeky Mia could be when she got out of bed too early. Mia was still waiting for an answer, her head cocked on one side, so Clarisse waved her hand in the direction of the other luggage, which also included three sleeping bags. Mia laughed

"You're taking all that- you're almost as bad as us, Grandma!"

"No, I'm taking two bags and a sleeping bag- the rest belongs to Charlotte and Sheila… Now," she said, taking a deep breath and surveying the scene again. "Are there some bags here that you don't need to take?"

"Yes…," Mia began slowly, a smile beginning to creep onto her face as she stood up and picked out two relatively small bags from the pile. "We knew it was way too much, but we couldn't resist teasing you…" she said with a cheeky grin at Clarisse, who stood there looking stunned for a moment.

"Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi Devereaux…."she began warningly, before the charming and beseeching look on Mia's face stopped her from continuing as she began to laugh. Trust Mia to do something like that!

"Well, now that we've sorted that out, I think we had better go," Charlotte said after a moment, and Clarisse walked over to retrieve her bags. Mia, who had been following her, stopped and surveyed her from head to toe.

"You look very outdoorsy this morning, Grandma! Do some of your clothes belong to Joe?"

"Of course, dear," Clarisse said calmly, walking out behind Sheila Motez. "You didn't think I was going to spend five days camping wearing suits and pearls, did you?" she looked back at Mia with an amused look, and Mia still looked surprised.

"You're always surprising me, Grandma," Mia said as they walked down the stairs and stood in front of a plain black 4WD standing in the driveway, with a small closed trailer attached.

'Funny…that's what Joseph says to me too," Clarisse said thoughtfully, giving Mia a small wink before looking at the car. "Are you sure we're all going to fit in this, Mia?"

"Yes- it's a seven seater I found in the garage, and I've made sure we can fit everything in here or in the trailer," she said as she threw her luggage into the trailer, and stood back to grin at Clarisse. Mia looked well, but Clarisse suddenly realised that maybe she should have not carried her luggage out….Mia seemed to read to her mind as she walked past.

"Don't worry, Grandma, I'm fine."

After they had packed all of their belongings and extra equipment (including groceries as, Lily pointed out, 'knowing the boys, they'll be out of food before we get there!'), they stood in front of the car, suddenly unsure what to do next….

"I'll drive- I know the way there," Charlotte volunteered, walking around to the driver's side while the other four continued to stand there.

"You sit in front, Grandma. Lily and I will be happy in the back," Mia said, climbing into the back seat, followed by Lily. Clarisse looked at Sheila, who smiled.

"I'll be fine in the backseat, Clarisse," she said easily, before following the other girls in, and shutting the door behind her.

Feeling rather awkward, Clarisse climbed into the front seat of the car, and instantly noticed the difference from the ground to where she was sitting.

"Goodness- imagine if I fell out!" she exclaimed, before shutting the door and putting her seatbelt on.

"Well," she said as she looked over at Charlotte, and back at the three in the back. "We're finally off on our trip!"

"The boys had better watch out!" Mia said with an excited laugh.

"Just don't rev the engine before we leave," Lily added with a slight smile, which started everyone off laughing- it was a good beginning to the trip!

* * *

Several hours drive away, the men had no idea of the plan or the surprise, but almost all of them were already up at dawn, itching to go fishing in the famous river.

"I wonder if Shades is coming," Kip said for the third time as they sat around the smoldering fire in their camp chairs, watching the sun lift higher into the sky, and waiting for the last member of the party to appear from his tent. Joe himself had been up for at least an hour, watching the sun rise from his rock, and thinking about Clarisse…..and how much he missed her….

It had been wonderful to talk to her the previous night, and the phone call had eased some of his feelings- he had felt that he shouldn't have gone- but she had enjoyed hearing his stories, and he knew that she would have told him off he hadn't gone.

"After all," she said with a smile as they finished packing his bags the night before he left. "You may get sick of spending all your time with me," she said teasingly, and Joe had taken her into his arms for a long kiss.

"As if I would ever do that….I would have done that a long time ago if I had," he joked, and she had laughed at his response.

"Besides- you know what they say: 'absence makes the heart grow fonder!"

Joe had thought about that as he had walked back to the campfire, and no one had questioned where he had gone or what he had done. Sebastian had the other three enthralled with his tale and, after listening for a moment, Joe realised that Sebastian had embellished the story slightly.

"So, did it really happen?" Nicholas asked, eyes wide, as they passed the coffee pot around.

"I think it did- it may have happened two hundred years ago, and most people don't believe it, but I think it was true," Sebastian said solemnly.

"It's my turn now," Shades said after a moment, putting his cup down on the ground, and moving closer to the fire. None of them even asked where he had been, although Nick had come up as Joe was disappearing into his tent, and whispered

"Everything work out okay?"

Joe silently gave him the thumbs up sign, before they both disappeared into their individual tents.

00000

"I think it would be better if we try and wake him up…we all know what young Scott is like in the morning," Joe said calmly, standing up and striding over to the closed flaps of Shade's tent.

He silently waved to the other three, and they stood on the other side of the tent, before they all shouted simultaneously:

"WAKE UP SCOTT!"

They chuckled quietly to themselves as they waited, listening for a noise, but there was only silence coming from the tent.

"We'll do it again, Scott!" Joe called into the tent and, after a pause, they heard a muffled voice (obviously he was buried in his sleeping bag) call out:

"Go Away!"

"Did you want to come fishing with us?" Sebastian asked.

"No thank you!" came the reply from the inner depths of the tent, and the four of them exchanged grins.

'Definitely not an early morning person," Joe said with a broad smile before they walked away.

000

It was well over two hours later when they came back from the river to find Shades sitting casually in his chair, dressed and sipping a cup of coffee.

"Thank you so much for waking me up this morning," he said sarcastically when they leant their fishing rods against a tree, and walked over to the fire. "I really appreciated it!"

"Oh, so does that mean you want one tomorrow?" Joe inquired with a sly grin, and Shades shot him a look. "Obviously not," he added as he poured a cup of coffee and sat down it down next to his chair.

"Why on earth did you come then?" Nicholas asked with a puzzled look as he emerged from the food tent. "You knew we would be getting up early every morning to go fishing, or hiking."

"I didn't realise that you were going to do it every day- maybe every second day….but not every day!"

"It's part of the fun of camping- no alarm clocks to wake you up, and you can see a lot early in the morning…it's great fun out here!" Kip said with enthusiasm.

"And you missed some great fishing time this morning- although we didn't get anything," Joe said with a grin.

"Okay, maybe I'll make an effort tomorrow morning," Shades pretended to grumble, but they all knew he was joking.

"By the way, Joseph, I was meaning to ask you…where did you go last night?"

Joe, helping Nicholas cook bacon and eggs over the fire, almost jumped- he had hoped that no one would have asked him that question. He recovered quickly, however.

"I just went for a walk in the woods- as I said last night, I've heard Sebastian's story many times before, and I didn't need to hear it again," Joe said with a shrug, turning back to the fire.

"But why were you out there that long….wouldn't your torch batteries have worn out?"

Shades was being really persistent, and Joe rolled his eyes before turning back again. He had the funny feeling that Shades suspected something…but he also knew that Nicholas wouldn't have betrayed his confidence.

"As you could see, there was plenty of moonlight last night, so I didn't need it. I haven't been here for a while, and I just wanted to go for a walk, that's all…Enough with the questions Scott…you're beginning to sound like a private investigator," he said in a tone Shades knew not to cross.

After they had enjoyed a long, leisurely breakfast, Shades volunteered to wash up again, and Kip quickly joined him.

"I imagine Charlotte may appreciate this new skill of yours," Sebastian said with a teasing smile at Shades, who only grinned and continued washing up.

"So," he continued. "What are the plans for today?"

"Let's go for a hike or something…I'm sure there would be some spectacular views around here….and more fishing," Nicholas suggested happily. "It wouldn't be too cold to go swimming later, would it?"

"Probably not, but wait until about midday to do that!"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Joe said enthusiastically- he was planning on having fun, even though he missed Clarisse. As if he knew what Joe was thinking, Nicholas said wistfully

"I wonder what the girls are up to now?"

"Knowing them probably still in bed, living the life of luxury," Shades said as he tossed the washing water out. "Besides, we didn't come out here to wonder what they were doing…they could have come with us….this is our time!!"

"Anyway, we'd better get going if we're going for a hike, and then spend the rest of the day fishing," Sebastian said as he stood up, and Joe followed suit.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the road, Clarisse glanced back in the backseat and chuckled at the scene behind her- while Sheila was wide awake, and leaning forward to chat to the two in the front, both Lily and Mia were slumped in their seats, asleep, and cuddling their pillows.

"I don't think I'll ask them to get up early again," Clarisse joked gently as she turned back to face the front and Charlotte, after a quick look in the back, laughed as well.

"I thought they were both planning on going to bed early last night!"

"They did…or I know that Mia was planning on it," Clarisse said with a smile, suddenly remembering the conversation that had occurred last night…Mia and Nicholas were going to be parents, and she and Joe were going to be great-grandparents…She wanted to tell the two women, but she was sworn to secrecy…She couldn't wait to tell Joseph, though…..

Charlotte, busily concentrating on the road, threw a quick glance over at Clarisse, and wasn't at all surprise to see a happy and excited look on her face…it was abundantly clear that she was looking forward to seeing her husband again…Charlotte thought it was lovely and sweet that they were obviously so crazy about each other…she suspected that Clarisse was often perplexed at how intense her feelings for Joe were (and vice versa), but neither of them had considered the fact that their relationship had been founded on friendship, over many years, and they knew each other so well…and they were soul mates…..

"I guess you're looking forward to seeing Joe again," Charlotte said, well aware of how lame it sounded, and Clarisse laughed out loud.

"I think we all know the answer to that question, Charlotte…and how about you and Scott?" she turned to look at her inquisitively, and Charlotte shrugged casually, trying to pretend that it didn't matter either way to her.

"I suppose so…" but a quick look out of the corner of her eye told her that Clarisse didn't believe her. "How about you, Sheila?"

"Of course…I never imagined I would see Sebastian camping again, but I think he was really looking forward to this trip, and spending time with the others…."

"By the way," Charlotte added after a moment. "Is Mia alright- she's seemed rather pale and tired lately…I was just wondering if there was anything wrong with her?"

"I think she's just worn out from the past year- it's been a big year for her, and she hasn't had a decent rest in a long time," Clarisse said easily, hating the fact that she was lying to two of her closest friends, but she had promised Mia…. Just as she was speaking, Mia stirred and woke up.

"I'm starving…can we please stop somewhere before we get there?" she asked, sitting up in the seat, and elbowing Lily in the ribs.

"That sounds like a good idea, Mia," Clarisse said, suddenly realizing that it had been several hours since her piece of toast, and she was dying for a good cup of tea.

"Did you want me to drive the rest of the way, Charlotte? Sheila asked from the backseat as they drove into the parking lot of a small restaurant. "I'm sure that it isn't that much further…"

"Only about another half an hour or so, but I'll be okay…I'm not driving back, though!"

"I suppose we'll have a choice of drivers," Lily said thoughtfully as they all climbed out of the car. As she was doing so, Clarisse was struck by an idea.

"I don't suppose you would like to swap seats with me when we leave again, Sheila? I have just had a wonderful idea of how I'm going to surprise Joseph!"

* * *

"I don't think I'll be going on another hike for a while," Sebastian groaned, collapsing into his chair, and bending to rub his feet. They had been on an hour and a half long hike, and were planning on moving onto the river for fishing after they had a rest.

"That was quite a steep climb!"

"But the view was amazing, wasn't it?" Nicholas said as he sat down and stretched his legs out. "I wish I had seen that view before….it was great! I could do that again!"

"If you do, leave me out," Joe said good naturedly, sitting down in his chair and rubbing his knees- they were slightly sore, but not as bad as he had expected….in fact, he wouldn't mind doing another hike like that while they were there. It was just the heat, which was steadily rising, that had tired him out.

"And not another word, Scott!" he added as he could tell that Shades had thought of a quick retort.

"I wasn't going to say a thing!" he protested with a smile, before bringing over a bottle of water for Joe. He was just about to hand it to him when he was distracted by a black 4WD that was approaching their camping area. "I wonder what they're doing?"

"Don't tell me that some other people have had this idea too!" Nicholas groaned from the ground. "I was just enjoying the peace….now more people are just going to spoil it!" he complained as he slowly stood up, stretching his arms high into the sky.

"You don't think there could have been an emergency, could you?" Sebastian said uneasily, and Nick looked panic-stricken as Joe felt uneasy, but no one had the chance to reply as the front passenger seat door, that was facing them, opened and out bounced….Queen Mia herself!

"Mia!" they all said in disbelief, as Mia beamed happily around at the group, pleased at the reaction.

"Surprise!" she said with a giggle before she raced over and literally threw herself into Nick's arms. The other four watched enviously before they realised that the back passenger door had opened too, and out climbed Lily and then Sheila Motez.

"Lily?" Kip croaked happily as Lily, smiling shyly, walked slowly over to him.

"Sheila?" Sebastian, in shock, slowly rose to his feet before Sheila made her way over to him. Joe and Shades looked enviously at the three happy couples for a moment before another figure appeared in their peripheral vision, and they all turned to see Charlotte, walking around from the driver's side, grinning at them all.

"Charlotte?" Scott said, obviously dumbstruck (which was a rare occurrence for him, Joe thought with a smile), as Charlotte giggled at him before running over. Joe looked back eagerly at the 4WD, but there was no beaming Clarisse standing there for him, so he sank down into his chair, envious and a little sad.

"Mia, didn't Clarisse come with you all?" he asked, knowing it was already true, but wanting to know what Mia had to say. Mia and Nick finally managed to tear themselves apart, and Mia was beaming happily at him as she turned to face Joe, her smile fading slightly.

"She sent her love…I'm sorry, Joe," she said softly.

"Oh," Joe said, trying not to look or sound disappointed, but he was…and seeing the others look so happy wasn't helping. The happy butterflies in his stomach disappeared, to be replaced by a sinking feeling….It didn't matter, he told himself, he was calling her tonight…

"Actually Joe, there's a carton in the back passenger seat on the drivers side…I was wondering if you could get it for us….we figured that you all would have needed more food," Mia joked gently, and Joe rose from his seat with a brave smile.

"It would be my pleasure, Mia," he said mildly, trying not to look as devastated as he felt…

He walked slowly around the front of the car, his head slightly down, but as he stopped at the point where he was meant to open the back door, there was someone standing there….

He looked up slowly, noting his jeans and flannelette shirt, and he began feeling hopeful again… could it be…. before meeting the beaming smile and sparkling blue eyes of his wife….his beloved Clarisse had come!

"Clarisse," he finally managed to say…this was a dream…she couldn't be here, standing right in front of him….she didn't like doing outdoor activities…was he so disappointed that he had managed to hallucinate….?

"Hello darling….surprise!" Clarisse said shyly, her cheeks glowing a bright pink as she looked at him happily…Maybe she shouldn't have surprised him like that- he had so disappointed when Mia had fibbed to him…and even hurt…and she didn't want to hurt him for anything in the world…

However, she was delightfully surprised as he strode silently over to her and, not caring that his knees still twinged slightly and his feet were blistered, lifted her off her feet, his face buried in her neck, smelling her sweet scent…It wasn't a dream…she was really here….!

"Joseph!" she squealed happily, a little startled at the gesture, and he put her down after a moment and wrapped his arms around her for a tight bear hug. He only pulled away for a moment to look into her face, as if to make sure that it was true….

"You came!" he murmured softly, and she smiled happily at him, loving the look of joy on his face…it had been just as she had imagined, only better…he had missed her as much as she had missed him….

"Of course I came…I want to try camping, but, more importantly…I wanted to see you… I've missed you so much…."

"I've missed you too," he managed to murmur before he kissed her long and passionately…he had really, truly missed her….

"I'm sorry I got Mia to fib to you," she said when they surfaced for air. "But I wanted to really surprise you…and I wanted our reunion to be a little private…I hope I didn't disappoint you too much, or hurt you…."

"I was slightly disappointed that I thought you hadn't come," he admitted, and her eyes instantly became remorseful. "But, don't forget- you could never disappoint or hurt hem," he said huskily as he kissed her hair, and then her neck.

"But if you think I was either of those, I forgive you…all that matters is that you're here…" before he moved in for another kiss.

"I love you," she whispered softly, and he beamed happily at her.

"I love you too…and," he said as he pulled away and gave her a long look, enveloping her from head to toe. "I notice that you're wearing some of my clothes…."

"I thought it would be better…"she began apologetically before he put his finger on her lips.

"I was just about to say that you look fantastic in them…even better than me, I would say!"

"Thank you sir," she pulled away to give him a curtsey, before Joe pulled her close again. Now that she was here, he wasn't going to let her go… "But," she added with a smile. "I do believe that we have an audience, despite my best intentions," she said and Joe turned around to see that the other four couples were standing there, grinning happily at them.


	5. A Private Walk

_Author's Note: Happy New Year everyone! Next chapter is up (obviously), and I know it might not seem too much like a camp…I have actually been camping, but not for seven years!_

_The Princess Diaries belongs to Meg Cabot and Disney_

"Did you like your surprise, Joe?" Mia asked with a cheeky giggle as Joe and Clarisse walked, hand in hand, towards them. "I hated to fib to you, but my grandmother was surprisingly insistent!"

"The pair of you can wait until we get back to the palace!" Joe joked as he led the way over to their campsite, a few metres away from the 4WD, still clutching Clarisse's hand.

He still couldn't believe that she was here, with him, and willing to experience camping. He had always thought she was more of an indoor person…but, as always, she never ceased to surprise and delight him. He turned to look at her, and he was surprised to see Clarisse looking around the campsite with a delighted expression on her face.

"What are you smiling about?"

"This looks so wonderful, Joseph…it's in such a peaceful spot, and no one would ever disturb you here!"

She took a deep breath in, and took another look around the campsite.

"I would have insisted Scott and Kip clean everything up if we'd known you were coming," Joe joked as he put an arm around her waist.

He had to smile when he heard two voices from behind him shout out, rather indignantly, "Hey!"

"But, anyway, this is our little campsite!" he said, waving his arm around, encompassing the semi circle of family sized tents (the forest close behind them) facing the campfire, their chairs surrounding the fire, and the washing up stand in the corner.

Clarisse laughed when she saw the fishing rods all leaning against the tree.

"I can see that you've got your priorities right," she joked as she turned to look at the others. "Did you wait until this morning to go fishing, or did you go sometime yesterday?"

"Some of us went yesterday, but the rest of us went this morning…Why? You surely didn't think that we would all lie in bed, like Scott here, and do nothing?" Sebastian joked, and Shades, for a fraction of a second, looked annoyed as everyone laughed as his expense, before joining.

"I told you that I would try harder tomorrow…but I'm sure the women won't get up that early to go fishing…" he looked around the group, before Mia spoke up.

"I'll have to see, but I wouldn't mind getting up early….Anyway," she continued as she turned and walked slowly back towards the trailer. "We brought extra tents for now…even though I suspect most of us will share…" she shared a quick look with Nicholas, before they both burst into laughter.

"I've got my roommate here!" Joe said as he pulled Clarisse closer to him, and she blushed. "So we don't need another tent….unless we happen to have an argument!"

"I was actually thinking of sharing with Charlotte," Clarisse teased softly into his ear, and Joe looked at her, slightly horrified, before she broke down in laughter and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "As if I would want to be with anyone else, darling!"

"You are being very cheeky today, Mrs Bonnell," he whispered into her ear as the others walked over to the trailer to help unload. "I don't think I've ever seen this side of you before…"

"The only reason I can offer is that I went crazy without you…and it was only a day and a night!" she beamed at him, and he leaned over to kiss her again. "But do you like the new me?"

"Yes…but I love everything about you- even when you're in a bad mood!"

"Don't worry Grandma and Joe, I kind of figured out what you two are doing!" Mia shouted from the back of the trailer, bringing them back to reality. "So, is there anyone else who needs to share?"

"I'll share with Kip," Shades said quickly.

"We'll share too," Charlotte and Lily said together as Joe and Clarisse made their way over to the car.

"Who are they kidding?" Clarisse murmured under her breath. "I bet we'll be hearing the sound of musical tents tonight," she added, and both Clarisse and Joe burst into laughter, much to the confusion and consternation of the rest of the group.

"Joe, I bet you also didn't know what your wife had been up to …!" Mia called from the trailer, and Joe looked at his wife with an eyebrow raised.

"What has my wife done now?" he asked, narrowly avoiding a playful blow from Clarisse.

"Well, even though she has never been camping, and abhors stealing or anything like that, she managed to rummage through some of the kitchen cupboards and came up with some extra cooking equipment we thought we might need!"

"I did not steal them…I was merely borrowing them!" Clarisse protested with a smile.

"What exactly did you 'borrow' from the kitchen, darling?" Joe said with an amused smile.

Well….I…"Clarisse blushed, looking modest. "It wasn't that much, unlike what Mia seems to think….just another campfire kettle, and extra grill to use for cooking on the fire, cutlery, and other utensils such as tongs, spatula…that sort of thing!"

"I knew there were a few things we forgot to bring," Shades muttered from nearby, and everyone had to laugh as Joe gave Clarisse a proud but gentle squeeze of her hand.

"What on earth would you have done if it rains….you didn't bring a tarpaulin or two, did you?" Charlotte asked mock seriously, and Shades froze, looking sheepish.

"Ah…"Scott began, and Charlotte looked triumphant, before patting Shades' arm reassuringly.

"I knew it! Did you bring cutlery?"

"Enough for us!"

"Luckily, then, we brought more for us," Lily's voice came from within the trailer, and the women laughed.

"But we also brought extra food…we all assumed that if the fishing was particularly poor, you'd be getting into the food big time!" Mia said as she waved at two large cartons of food

"We are not totally incompetent," Nicholas said indignantly before he picked up one carton, Kip the other and, to Clarisse's astonishment, carried them into one of the large tents near the fire. She looked at Joseph, bewildered, and he laughed.

"We've got a food tent…you never know what could be around here at night!"

"And, we also brought fishing rods of our own!" Sheila looked triumphant as she, along with Charlotte, pulled out five rods from the back of the 4WD. The women all laughed at the stupefied expressions on the faces of the men. "We were actually planning on fishing, you know!"

It then seemed that the equipment had all been unpacked, as the women retrieved their personal belongings. As soon as Clarisse made her way back to Joseph, he instantly took her bags away from her. She pretended to be angry at him, but she loved the little touch- he had always been such a gentleman!

"Joseph! I'm not completely useless- I _can_ carry my own luggage!"

"I know…but don't deny me the pleasure of doing it for you," he smiled charmingly at her, and she couldn't help but laugh. She glanced back at Mia, who was about to grab her bags when, thankfully, Nicholas dived in and grabbed them from her.

In fact, she was delighted to see that all the men carried their other halves' luggage to their tents. Clarisse followed Joseph through the camp, still looking around her in wonder, and was pleased to see that his….their, she amended with a smile…tent was right in the centre of the semi circle.

"After you, madam," he bowed down low, and she touched his cheek affectionately before lifting one tent flap up, and half crawled inside.

As her eyes adjusted to the slight darkness of the tent, she looked around in surprise- it seemed even bigger from the inside. While half of the tent was taken up with his mattress and sleeping bag, the rest of the tent was empty…his bags were sitting along the side of the tent, but there weren't any clothes strewn over the floor of the tent.

"Joseph!" she gasped as she heard him follow her in. "This is so big…and roomy!"

"Aren't you lucky that you married someone who is nice and neat?" he teased as he placed her luggage near his, and sat down on the mattress next to Clarisse.

"You haven't see Shades' tent…it's almost as bad as his room back in the palace- an absolute pigsty…I don't envy Kip…or Charlotte….or whoever is going to stay in there with him!"

Clarisse laughed, and began testing the firmness of the mattress.

"I didn't realise that we were supposed to bring air mattresses….but this is nice and firm!"

"Well, we are the lucky ones my dear…no one else thought to bring one either, but the thought of sleeping on the ground was absolutely abhorrent!"

"Surely it couldn't be as bad as that!" Clarisse said, lying down on the tent floor for a moment, before wincing and sitting up again very quickly.

"I can see what you mean!"

Joseph laughed as he offered her his hand, and helped her sit back next to him on the mattress.

"I brought an extra sleeping bag with me….."

"That's good- we can then zip our sleeping bags together to make one big sleeping bag!" Joe said lightly, reaching for her sleeping bag and set to work zipping the two bags together. Clarisse shifted slightly, watching him in fascination.

"Won't you get a little claustrophobic being in such close proximity to me?" Clarisse teased as she viewed his handwork, and he put an arm around her waist, pulling her close for a tender kiss on the neck.

"I don't mind being in close proximity to you," he murmured into her ear. "In fact, I prefer it!"

"Oh…" Clarisse murmured in a low voice, turning to face him. "So you missed me as much as that?" she smiled warmly at him, and he cupped her chin in his hand before kissing her.

"I certainly did…in fact, after I called you last night, I was beginning to wonder if I was going to make it through the week without you….Did you miss me?"

"Hmmmm," Clarisse pretended to think, her eyes sparkling with mischief, before gazing at him with the blue eyes he loved so much. "Yes I did…too much!"

Joseph was about to lean over and kiss her again before they heard two pairs of footsteps stop in front stop in the front of their tent, creating a shadow.

"Are you two coming out now, or shall we leave without you?" Mia called out cheekily as Joe rolled his eyes and Clarisse giggled softly.

"We're on our way!"

0000

When they emerged from the tent, they weren't at all surprised to see that everyone else was waiting for them, all holding their fishing rods.

"Are you coming fishing with us?" Nicholas asked as he pretended to reel a fish in from the fire. Joseph looked at Clarisse, who shrugged happily- she didn't care what they did…just as long as they were together.

"Actually," he said after a moment, thinking hard. "We were going to go for a walk…we may come down and join you later."

'Alright," Shades shrugged, and turned around towards the direction of the river. "We may see you later then!"

Clarisse and Joe watched the others disappear into the forest, and she turned to him with an astonished look.

"I would have thought you would have been the first down at the river!" she said teasingly as Joe took her hand in his, and led her in the opposite direction, into the forest.

"I usually am…and we will go fishing…I just wanted to show you some of the forest…."

"You aren't fooling me one minute, Joseph Bonnell," Clarisse said with laughter in her voice as she moved closer to him as they walked along.

"But I did want some time…just the two of us," she looked at him with a shy smile, and he couldn't resist stopping and giving her a hug.

"Would you like to make a trek to where I had to make my phone call last night? I'm sure you'd be interested in seeing that….and know the sacrifice I made, missing Sebastian's scary story, just to talk to you!"

"I'd love to see that…and, before you ask, I am wearing my sturdiest shoes, with another three pairs in the tent."

"No wonder one of those bags felt heavier than the others," he pretended to groan, and she only chuckled at him. There was a silence as they walked through the forest, the leaves under their feet contributing to the rest of the sounds of the forest, and Clarisse looked around her.

"Have I ever been anywhere near here…this seems familiar…surely this mustn't be too far from the Winter Palace!"

"Why? Are you sick of camping already?" Joe asked, giving her a mischievious look and she ignored him. "You haven't been past here that often…as you could see when you arrived, it is far away from the roads…but it is, apparently, a popular camping site."  
"Yes…now I know why it seems familiar…I think this where Rupert and the boys used to camp…I know Phillip loved it…he learnt to swim in the river…"

Clarisse stopped for a moment, swept away by memories, and Joe watched her with a smile. Although much of her first marriage had been a disaster, the boys had made it bearable…and Phillipe had been very close to her…in fact, Joe had never seen a closer mother and son…

"What about you?" she suddenly came back from her daydream, looking directly at him and Joseph was more than a little startled.

"Where did you go camping when you were younger?"

"Well…we usually went south of the city, rather than to the north….but, I will admit, this place is much more lush and green than where we went….But we always had a good time- fishing, hiking, games…throwing a lot of rocks," he chuckled a particular incident coming to mind.

"Our father usually told us not to be so silly, someone would get hurt…and someone did…BJ hit me in the chin with a rock," he pointed to his chin, and Clarisse looked closely- she had noticed the tiny scar before, and had wanted to ask what had happened. "That effectively wrecked our trip, as Dad had to take me back to town to have stitches!"

"Poor Joseph," she said softly, touching the area where the scar was with her fingers, before kissing it tenderly. "How many stitches did you have?"

"About four, I think…I was about seven at the time…but I did exact my revenge on BJ…."

"How?" Clarisse looked intrigued as they continued their walk.

"BJ happened to have his line sitting on the shore of the lake…and it was a really rough day, with a lot of wind…I was walking by at the time, and I just happened to kick the rocks that that were holding it away….and it just floated off into the river…" he grinned at the memory as Clarisse tried to look disapproving, but failed miserably.

"How did BJ react when he had found it was gone?"

"Absolutely devastated…I think he suspected it was me, but Dad thought it was the rough conditions…and I've never told him that at all…"

"Is he still crazy about fishing?"

"He goes on a six week fishing holiday every summer…so yes, I think he is…" he chuckled again.

"I think you'd better keep that secret to yourself…you're terrible," Clarisse said, but the smile on her face told him she found it funny.

"Here we are!" he said several minutes later, stopping suddenly in front of a tall, round rock and Clarisse gazed up in awe.

"Did you climb all the way to the top of this?"

"Yes I did…did you want to climb it?"

"Of course…but would your knees be able to handle it…I think I heard that you had all been on a hike this morning, am I correct?"

"Yes we did, but I'm more than able to join you…"

It was a slightly steep climb, and Joseph helped her over some of the rougher ground, but they soon found themselves standing at the top of the rock, gazing down to the ground, a long, long way down…

"I hope we can get back down," Clarisse said, a little nervously, as she sat down on the rock, a long way from the edge.

"It's much easier getting down," he said reassuringly, sitting down beside her and taking her hand in his. "But what do you think of the view?"

"Beautiful…can we see the campsite from here?"

"Not quite- it's hidden in that patch of trees over there," he pointed to his right, and she followed his arm. "The river is further on in that direction…."

"Did anyone know you made a phone call last night?" Clarisse looked at him with an amused look, and he laughed.

"I only mentioned it to Nicholas…but we both know Shades would never have let me live it down…" Clarisse laughed.

"I didn't tell anyone I talked to you last night…everyone though I was just as excited to see you after two days, but they didn't know the truth…."

"Nicholas also told me a little secret that I can only tell you…"

"Oh?" Clarisse looked at him, intrigued.

"He told me that it's possible that he and Mia are going to be having a baby next year sometime…" he looked over at Clarisse, ready to gauge how excited she would be, and was a little confused to see that she was smiling smugly at him. "What?"

"Nicholas may have been guessing, but I have confirmation…they _are _going to have a baby!" she literally beamed happiness at him, and he looked at her, stunned, for a moment, before pulling her close for a hug.

"They are! That's fantastic!"

"But we can't tell anyone…this is a royal secret….I don't know when Mia was planning on telling the others….But, just think," she pulled away and smiled happily at him. "We're going to be great-grandparents!"

"Great-grand….what?" he looked at her confusion. "I know that you're going to be a great-grandmother, but I…that would have been Rupert…"

"Joseph my love, you're married to me, so that automatically makes you a great-grandparent. Why, are you afraid of the responsibilities it entails?" she teased gently as Joe looked out into the forest for a moment, lost in thought.

He had never had a family of his own- his work and his growing love for Clarisse had put paid to that- and he had long since accepted it…he considered Clarisse and Mia his family….But he hadn't realised that they had happily and willingly accepted him as part of the family….he was honoured…

"Joseph?" she asked softly, putting an arm on his shoulder, and she was surprised to see he had tears in his eyes when he looked at her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…I just never imagined I would ever have any of that…my job didn't let me have much of a life to have a marriage…not that I would have married anyone else but you…but I hadn't thought that you and Mia thought of me as part of the family…Do you think Mia would accept me as that?"

"I do," Clarisse smiled tenderly at him. "We both think you're a perfect fit in our family…you've always been part of it for me, and she's looked up to you for years…she thought you were a hero when you found her in that dreadful storm…not that I blame her…In fact, Mia's already thinking of nicknames you can be known by!" She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, before speaking again.

"Darling?" she said tentatively. "Why were you so surprised that we both consider you a member of our family…small as it is…."

"I don't know…some people may think that I'm not good enough for you…and I'm an upstart to marry into the royal family…"he trailed off, thinking of some of the comments he had heard since the wedding. There weren't that many who disapproved, and he really didn't care, but he didn't want Clarisse to hear them.

"Look at me, Joseph," she said calmly, and he reluctantly looked into her eyes.

"I love you…I always have…and I married you…why should you care about what anyone else thinks, as long as you and I are happy? I don't care now…I think you're better than many of the men in parliament and, in many ways, better than Rupert! I don't ever want you to think like that again…you are my best friend, and the only man I will ever, truly love…"

She leant over and kissed him on the mouth. "Does that convince you?"

"Yes…but I may need a little more convincing," he said, feeling much better about everything, and she laughed but complied, leaning over to kiss him again. "I was thinking that Gramps might sound good for you," she teased, and laughed at his look as she sat back down and he put an arm around her.

"I think I'm going to like camping," she said, looking around her and taking a deep breath in.

"I love the fresh air around here, and all the new experiences I'm going to have…fishing, sleeping out in a tent…this is going to be fun!"

"You know, I never thought you would come out here- I thought you were much more of an indoor type of person…or in the garden…almost like a pampered pussycat, living the life of luxury!"

"Joseph, sweetheart, I've had that life for over 35 years…and I was thoroughly bored of it by the fifth year of my marriage, if not sooner. You know that I've got much simpler tastes than that…and it gets so tiresome after a while. People think that it's all glamour and parties, but they would soon come to realise that it can be boring and, often, lonely…I was lucky," she said, brushing his face with her hand.

"You were there to prevent me from being too lonely….But, I often wonder if Rupert was lonely…He had all the women in the world, and his friends, but they were all into the lifestyle I detested…I don't suppose he ever thought about it," she said lightly, shrugging her shoulders.

"Besides, "she added with a slightly cheeky grin at him. "What's a woman to do when her husband is camping…go and join him!"


	6. Around the Campfire

_Author's Note: The next chapter may be a short chapter after this one! The dares are very tame too!_

_The Princess Diaries belong to Meg Cabot and Disney_

They were sitting there quietly for a while, holding hands and enjoying the peaceful surroundings, when Joseph regretfully looked at his watch.

"I think we should be making a move, my dear, otherwise they'll be sending out a search party…I already caused enough questions disappearing last night!"

"Surely they wouldn't do that," Clarisse said as she stood up, Joseph a little more slowly, and looked over the edge once more. She shuddered and walked away- the further away from the edge the better!

"Are you afraid of heights, Clarisse?" Joe looked at her amusedly as they slowly began to make their descent from the rock.

"No…I'm just not fond of not having my feet firmly on the ground," she said as she almost slipped on leaves, but he was there to catch her before she fell. "And all these leaves around here…someone could slip…which I almost just did myself," she added with a sheepish grin as she took Joseph's proffered hand.

They eventually got to the bottom of the climb, and Clarisse stood and gaped up at the rock- she hadn't realised how high they had actually been until now!

"Why on earth didn't I figure that out before I went up there?"

"If I had told you, you wouldn't have gone up there…and I wanted you to see the view from there, although I'll admit that it is very high, and I was rather nervous climbing up there last night."

"I'm not quite so pleased about that phone call last night now that I know about this…" Clarisse pursed her lips, still looking up into the sky, before shaking her head and turning to look at Joseph.

"You know, you should show the boys this…I'm sure they'd even try abseiling down it if they had the equipment…"

"I might show them…but we'll see," Joseph said enigmatically- it was true, the boys would love to climb up this rock, but this was now a special spot for him and Clarisse…

"You don't have to," Clarisse said softly, lacing her fingers with his, and smiling over at him. As always, she seemed to know what he was thinking, as he usually did with her…but, after spending so many years together as bodyguard and Queen (and friends), it was inevitable….

"So, what else can we do while we're out here?" Clarisse asked as they strolled back towards the campsite.

"Apart from fishing, we could always do more of these private walks…" he leaned over and nuzzled her neck for a moment. "Or even go swimming…the river is great at this time of the year, and I've also discovered another little swimming place around here…"

"Aren't you a regular little explorer?" Clarisse teased. "But swimming sounds lovely…I haven't been swimming in a long time, and I did bring my bathing suit."

"You did?" Joe looked at her in surprise, and she laughed at the expression on his face.

"Yes I have…and I still haven't forgotten the reaction I elicited from you the last time I put one on…didn't you, on that occasion, fall into the lake in surprise?"

"Must you remind me of that day?" he pretended to moan, looking slightly embarrassed, and she laughed- it had been such a classic moment… "I thought you were going to go paddling, and then you're suddenly standing beside me in your bathing suit! Of course I was surprised- was trying to get my shoes off!"

"And don't think I didn't notice your reaction- you could hardly keep your eyes off me!" Clarisse laughed, slipping his arm through his. "So, was it the colour of the suit that attracted your attention, or the fact that a Queen in her mid forties was actually wearing a bathing suit?"

"I wasn't thinking that…I was thinking how extraordinarily lovely and athletic you looked in it…" he trailed off, not wanting to add that he had been amazed by her stunning figure, but Clarisse knew what he was thinking.

"You are such a gentleman…but that's one of your best qualities," she said, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. "So, you wouldn't mind if we went swimming during the week?"

He was going to say more, but the sounds of people talking stopped their conversation from going any further. They stepped into view, and saw that everyone else had come back from fishing, and were sitting and chatting around the campfire. Nicholas was busy setting up the extra camp chairs that the women had brought with them.

"About time you two got back!" Mia called cheekily as they walked into the circle. "We were just about to send a search party out for you… where on earth have you been?"

"Just walking in the forest," Clarisse said calmly as Joseph ushered her into his seat, before Nicholas triumphantly unfolded the last chair, and put it beside Clarisse.

"There you go…and you said I wouldn't be able to unfold them!" he said, shooting a victorious look over at Mia who was sitting next to Lily.

"I never said that… I just said that you might have some trouble with them!" Mia protested as Nick just grinned at her, and headed towards the food tent. "What are you boys going to have for dinner tonight…we have ours, although what else are you cooking?"  
Nicholas, who had disappeared into the tent, popped his head out and gave her a cheeky look.

"You'll just have to wait and see," he shot back, before disappearing again.

"How was the fishing this afternoon?" Clarisse inquired as Joseph disappeared to help Nicholas. Charlotte, who was sitting nearby, laughed happily.

"You wouldn't believe this…but the four of us," she indicated the four women. "All caught two fish each, while the men struggled to get one each! Actually, there was someone who didn't get one at all…"

"Which was me," Shades said, emerging from behind Clarisse and collapsing in the chair next to Charlotte. "I always knew that fishing was a waste of time!"

"Don't worry, Scott. I'm sure you'll be able to catch one tomorrow," Sheila Motez said sympathetically.

"That is, if you get up early enough," quipped her husband beside her, and was rewarded with a sharp look. "What? He didn't come with us this morning…he stayed in bed!"

"You slept in?" Charlotte said in disbelief. "Gosh, we were on the road about 6:30 this morning! You baby!" before laughing and patting his arm reassuringly. "So, we're having fish tonight," Charlotte explained, turning back to Clarisse.

"I do like fish," Clarisse said enthusiastically. "I've never had it cooked on the fire before, but I'm sure Nicholas and Joseph will do a fine job," she beamed happily at both of them, busy at the fire, and Joe nudged Nicholas jokingly.

"Now the pressure's really on!" he joked before he glanced back at his wife with a grin.

"Did you want any help?" she questioned, starting to get out of her seat, but her husband waved a hand at her.

"No, thank you darling… we'll be fine on our own."

"Aren't I lucky to be married to a gourmet chef?" Mia pretended to sigh dreamily, gazing at Nicholas, and squealed with delight as he threw a towel her way. Clarisse smiled at their antics, but she too knew that she was lucky to be married to someone who could cook exceptionally well… as he proved when he cooked her something the night she had worked very late….she had forgotten to eat anything that evening, and Joseph had insisted…it had been simple, but she had discovered another of his many hidden talents….

* * *

_Clarisse put her pen down with a sigh of relief, and folded her glasses up. Thank goodness that was over and done with, she thought to herself as she gathered the papers she had perused and signed, and placed them in a neat pile on the edge of her desk, to be collected the next day. She glanced at her watch and gasped- it was nearly 10:30 in the evening! She had never worked that long before, but it had been urgent to read the papers…Clarisse usually wasn't so disorganized about the papers she usually read a week in advance, but her beloved eighteen year old granddaughter had been visiting, and she hadn't wanted to miss a moment with her…But she had paid for it afterwards…_

_She sighed again and stood up to stretch, suddenly realizing that someone had turned on the lights…and brought in her dinner, she thought as she looked at the tray of now cold food…it didn't look appealing but, she had to admit, she was hungry… Just then, there was a discreet cough from the doorway, and she looked up to see Joseph standing there._

"_Joseph! I didn't think you'd still be up…it's very late!" Clarisse said in surprise as she walked slowly around her desk, stretching her arms._

"_If you're still awake, Clarisse, then I'm still awake," he said, and she had to laugh at him._

"_Isn't that going a little bit beyond the call of duty?" she teased tiredly as she sank slowly onto the couch- now that the adrenaline of working was wearing off, she was starting to feel very tired._

"_I don't think so…I didn't want to leave you working, alone, at this time of night," he said, walking towards her and sitting next to her on the couch, taking her hand in his. She smiled over at him and gently brushed her free hand down his face._

"_You're always so kind and thoughtful, Joseph… I don't know what I'd do without you…"_

_  
"I know- work till all hours of the night, and never eat!" he joked gently and she joined in, before looking regretfully over at the full dinner tray._

"_I guess I didn't hear anyone bringing that in… do you know what time it came in?"_

_  
"I can recall that the maids brought it past me at six o'clock," he said, and she groaned. "You were working quite hard, Clarisse… so much so that the palace burned to the ground around you," he joked as her eyes widened, and she sat up immediately, but relaxed when she realised that he was joking._

"_Are you hungry?" he asked as she gazed longingly over at the tray again, and she nodded._

"_Starving… it's a long time since lunch… but the staff will have gone to bed by now…"_

_  
"Not to worry…come with me," he stood up, and offered her a hand with a charming smile._

_0000_

_The kitchen was deserted when they walked through the doors a few minutes later, and Joe gently deposited Clarisse into a nearby chair next to the bench, before walking over to the pantry, flicking the kettle on as he went. It was obvious that Clarisse was exhausted, so he decided to prepare something simple for her._

"_What do you feel like?" he called from inside the pantry, and Clarisse shrugged, propping her head up with one hand- a very un Queen like gesture, but one that was satisfactory for the occasion.._

"_I don't know…what's in the pantry that's edible?"_

_  
"How about toasted cheese sandwiches?" he asked as he re-emerged from the pantry with a loaf of bread, and Clarisse nodded enthusiastically (or as well as she could manage in her exhausted state), her eyes lighting up with pleasure._

"_I haven't had them in years! I used to do them myself, but I was rather shy asking people where the toaster was in the kitchen!"_

"They're very simple to make…I would make you something more complicated," he said as he rummaged through the kitchen cabinets for the sandwich toaster.

"But," he said as he emerged with the toaster, and put it on the bench in front of her with a flourish. "I can see that you won't be awake in an hour, so this will have to do…"

"This will do fine… and you're right, I won't be awake in an hour…" she murmured as he tossed bread, cheese and butter onto the bench, and went looking for a knife. 

"_I can tell today has been rather hectic," he said sympathetically. "Would you like a cup of tea… or something stronger?" _

_She laughed at his offer of something stronger, sorely tempted, but then thought again._

"_A cup of tea…something stronger may send me straight off to sleep, or make me act silly… I don't think you would want either situation on your hands…"_

_  
"Oh, I wouldn't mind," he said softly as he buttered several slices of bread, before turning to the cheese._

"_Are you going to join me?"_

_  
"I thought I might… dinner was an awfully long time ago," he joked, giving her a teasing look, and she blushed, looking slightly embarrassed._

"_I'm sorry… I just needed to catch up on what I missed while Mia was here… ahh, a cup of tea," she sighed happily as Joseph handed her a steaming cup of tea. _

_"Just what I needed," she said after taking a sip._

"_So, are you a cook?" she asked conversationally as they waited for the first two sandwiches to cook._

"_Well, I'm not a gourmet cook, but I try my best… I do a mean spaghetti bolognaise, and steak… and I can do some great desserts… ow!" he said as he pulled one of the sandwiches out of the toaster and dropped it quickly onto the plate. "Here…you have these two."_

_  
"Don't be silly… cut them into slices, and we can share them…"_

_As they shared the sandwiches, the next two cooking away in the toaster, Clarisse looked at Joseph again._

"_I wouldn't mind trying some of your more complicated recipes sometime…" she said shyly, sipping her tea. "That is, if you want to…"_

_  
"It would be a pleasure, Clarisse…anytime you want…"_

_

* * *

_

Clarisse smiled at the memory- he had more than fulfilled his promise on several occasions- before she was startled back to reality when Joseph handed her a plate with fish, a little salad and bread on it.

"Welcome back to reality, my love," he said softly as he sat down beside her and handed her a knife and fork. "I could see that you were off for a moment there."

"I was just thinking about that time you made me toasted sandwiches," she said in an undertone as she cut up the fish.

"I would have thought that you would have forgotten about that… I've made you better meals than that!"

"Still… toasted sandwiches were my favourite," she said softly, before eating some of the fish. "Mmmm…this is delicious…absolutely delicious… much better than palace food at times!"

"Nick!" Joe called over to the other side of the fire. "Clarisse likes your cooking!"

"That was your part of the operation… I didn't do the fish tonight, remember?"

"Well, whoever did it… well done!" Clarisse said with a smile, before proceeding to devour everything on her plate. Joseph watched her, slightly astounded but delighted.

"Wow! I think we're going to have to serve campfire food more often… that, or go for long, long walks every day!"

Clarisse only beamed at him, and neither of them realised that everyone was watching them with tender smiles. While it was reasonable that everyone was ecstatic to have their other halves camping with them, it was obvious that Clarisse and Joe were, by far, the happiest out of them all… they were sitting so close together that they were in each other's laps. Although they were usually much more reticent about showing their clear and deep love for each other, they were comfortable enough with their friends to show it… and the others loved seeing it.

"I hate to break up this party, but I was wondering if everyone was finished… Kip and I have to do the washing up," Shades said as he stood up and began gathering plates from the others.

Charlotte exchanged a look with Sheila, before looking at him, astonished.

"You actually wash up? I thought you used paper plates, or got take away food!"

"That's back at the palace, Charlie…here, in the wild, we have to do our own washing up!"

"Did you want any help?" she asked, getting up, but Shades shook his head.

"It's okay… it's actually very therapeutic…"

"Therapeutic?" Clarisse heard Mia giggle, and Clarisse had to admit that she hadn't heard that before.

"Oh… who was complaining last night about the hot water?" Nick retorted, and Shades threw him a look of mock frustration.

"I wouldn't worry, Scott," Mia said easily, her legs draped over Nicholas. "I'm sure Nick has had a few moments… like the chairs this afternoon," she finished with a laugh, as Nicholas turned to her with a look.

"Enough about the chairs… I didn't see you do anything…" he said before he scooped Mia up, and sat down with her in his lap. They giggled at each other, completely oblivious to the world and Clarisse, watching them, wondered when Mia would break the news….

"So, what are we going to do for the rest of the evening" Mia, breaking the moment with Nicholas, inquired as she looked around the fire, still sitting on Nicholas' lap. "It is way too early to go to bed yet!"

"We told scary stories last night… would that do?" Nicholas asked as Mia extricated herself from his arms, and sat back in her chair next to him again. She threw him a look of disgust.

"Unless you want to stand guard outside our tent all night, I think not!"

"I thought you liked horror films and such, Mia," Clarisse called gently from her spot next to Joseph. She could still remember the films she had had to endure when Mia had come to stay while still at high school.

"That's different, Grandma. Those were only stories…."

'So are these," Nicholas retorted.

"But we watched them on television in the safety of the palace, where there were plenty of people around… I don't think so, Nick!"

There was a long silence as everyone thought hard, before Mia's eyes lit up, and her brow lightened.

"Does anyone have a glass bottle?"

"I think we do in the tent…why?" Scott, who had now finished the washing up, asked warily as he sat down next to Charlotte who rewarded him with a kiss on the cheek. He had been working for the Queen since her coronation, and some of her ideas had made him somewhat cautious….

"I think we should play 'Spin the Bottle!" Mia looked around excitedly, but her glance was met with confused looks from not only Sebastian and Sheila, but Clarisse and Joe. Charlotte and Shades, as well as Kip and Lily, knew what she was talking about.

"Spin the Bottle?" Clarisse looked confused, before turning to Charlotte for more information.

"You don't mean that silly game where girls have to kiss boys in the dark, do you?" Shades said in disgust. "That's a high school game!"

"I know that… How about if we put a slight twist on it then? If the top of the bottle points to you, you have to pick Truth or Dare."

"What sort of dares are we talking about?" Joe asked, slightly suspicious, as Nicholas disappeared into the food tent. "I'm definitely not running through the forest, barefoot, at this time of the night!"

"It wouldn't be dangerous dares like that… just stuff around the fire…" Mia giggled as the older members of the group exchanged skeptical glances. "Joe, I promise that we won't do anything really silly!"

Nicholas reappeared with an almost empty tomato sauce bottle, and Mia took it with a gleeful look on her face.

"So, who's in? I think it'll be fun… Lily? Kip?" she turned appealingly to them and they, after looking at each other, nodded with broad grins.

"Since you're doing it, I suppose I'll have to be in it too," Nicholas pretended to sound resigned, but he was beaming happily.

"It could be fun," Charlotte said hesitantly, as Scott laughed outright.

"If I remember what it was like it school, I can see that we're going to have some good times tonight!"

"Nothing silly, Mia," Joe said reasonably and Mia nodded solemnly. After a brief glance at his wife, who just nodded, he turned back to Mia. "We'll do it too." He was quickly followed by Sebastian and Sheila, and Mia clapped her hands delightedly.

"We're going to have to sit in a circle, which means that some of us will have to move… we can, if you want…"

However, the other three couples had already stood up and were moving their chairs around to where the others were sitting. Clarisse shivered- the air was beginning to get slightly chilly- and when she sat down, she noticed that Joseph hadn't sat down next to her. She was wondering where he went to until she felt him drape one of his warmest jackets around her shoulders.

"I thought you might need that," he murmured into her ear as he sat down next to her, and she smiled at him as she maneuvered her arms into the sleeves.

"Thank you, darling," she mouthed to him, before turning her attention to the bottle that Mia had put down on the ground. "So, how does this go Mia?"

"Like I said before, if the top of the bottle is facing you, you have a choice between truth or dare. 'Truth' is when you answer a question truthfully, and 'dare' is when you get dared to do something."

Clarisse nodded understandingly as Mia flicked the bottle with her wrist, and it began to spin around and around….slowing down… until it came to a stop, facing Shades.

"Oh great! Why do I have to be first?" he complained as Charlotte patted his arm comfortingly.

"Truth or dare, Scott?" Mia, who had been whispering with Lily and Nick, asked and Scott looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I'll be safe and ask for 'truth', Your Majesty," he said as Charlotte, sitting by his side, looked slightly disappointed. "Next time, Charlie," he said out the side of his mouth and she brightened.

"Okay… how long was it before you realised that you liked Charlotte?"

The younger generation burst into laughter after Lily asked the question, while the older four looked slightly uneasy… Charlotte was blushing, but Scott was only grinning.

"Let's see… we've been working there for ten years, so I think I had been there about nine months when I realised that I liked Charlotte… although you would never have guessed it by some of the arguments we had!"

"I can vouch for that!" Joseph spoke up with a grin, but Charlotte was looking at Shades with wide eyes.

"That long?" Shades broad grin softened into a genuine smile as he looked at Charlotte- only Charlotte could melt the bravado he usually maintained.

"Yes… although I don't think we could ever beat the record set by those two over there," he waved over at Clarisse and Joe, before kissing Charlotte bashfully on the cheek. "I don't think I'd want to try… I still think they were crazy!"

"You were well on the way in our pattern!" Joe retorted with a fond grin at the young man. Charlotte whispered something into his ear, and he went slightly red before taking her hand in his.

"Next! Shades, you have to spin it now!"

The next person it landed on was… Kip, who had been sitting and grinning at watching Shades squirm… He looked more than a little surprised when Lily turned to him with a sassy smile.

"Truth or Dare?"

"I don't know…. Dare?" but he didn't sound all that sure about that.

"Okay…you have to skull a cup of hot water from the kettle on the fire!"

"Mia, really," Clarisse began, but Kip, having recovered from his surprise, stood up with a wide grin.

"I'm sure I can do that… My voice was getting rather parched!"

He grabbed a tin cup from the draining board, poured water in from the kettle from the fire, and easily drank the lot.

"Too easy," he said with a grin, sitting back down with a flourish as both Clarisse and Sheila looked at him in concern.

"Didn't that burn the top of your mouth or your throat?" Sheila asked in disbelief, and he shook his head.

"Not at all." He leaned forward to spin the bottle, which landed on…Lily.

"Truth," Lily said quickly before Mia had a chance to ask her the question.

"Alright… How are you finding life at the palace, working as my personal assistant?" Lily looked thoughtful for a moment, and then looked around with a grin.

"I honestly thought it would be boring, particularly after everything else I managed to do when I was at college… and the clothes do drive me nuts…. But…on the whole, I am enjoying it… and there are other compensations besides working with my best friend," she finished, stealing a shy look at Kip before looking back at Mia triumphantly, and spinning the bottle again.

Sebastian was bold enough to ask for a dare- and he didn't mind in the slightest having to wear one of his wife's jackets, while Sheila admitted that her favourite hobby was to watch the soaps on television- especially as her husband detested them. Charlotte admitted that she had had a crush on Scott since he began working there, and Joe, having accepted a dare, stood on one leg for two minutes.

"Are you sure…you're…" Clarisse asked with concern, and he smiled reassuringly at her.

"They are better than ever… don't you worry about that!"

"So Grandma, it's your turn…" Mia said, turning to her with a slightly impish grin. "What do you choose?" Clarisse smiled- she had been thinking about it while watching the others, and she knew what she wanted to do. "Dare."

"Are you sure?" Mia looked slightly nervous as Joseph almost lost his balance. He wouldn't have thought that Clarisse would have done a dare… still, he was interested to see what she would be asked to do….

"Perfectly… What am I going to have to do?"

"I dare you to kiss Joseph in front of us…" Mia said with a grin, and there was a gasp about the campfire, as Joe looked slightly concerned. Clarisse may do most things, but she was still very private about their relationship….

"I don't know about that, Mia…" he began as Clarisse sat there for a moment, gazing into the fire. He was about to tell her not to worry, but stopped when he saw her rise to her feet, and walk towards him, a seductive smile on her face.

"I take it that Joseph can stand on both feet again," she looked questioningly over her shoulder at Mia who, stunned by her own audacity, nodded silently.

There was a pause as Clarisse stood in front of him for a moment, her eyes sparkling with mischief, before she leaned over and kissed him sweetly and passionately… Joseph was more than a little taken aback- they had done it so many times, but in the privacy of their own bedroom, not in front of a group of people…

After they broke apart, Clarisse turned to look at her granddaughter with a smug smile, and a quick wink, before calmly sitting back down in her chair, quickly followed by Joseph. He hardly dared to take her hand again, but she beamed over at him, and he knew that she wasn't angry at all…in fact, it seemed as though she had enjoyed it!

She could tell that the others were shocked at Mia's pert request, but Clarisse didn't mind… it was time that their closest friends saw how much they loved each other… Mia looked at Clarisse nervously, and Clarisse smiled warmly at her, sending the message that she wasn't at all angry.

"So, are we going to do it again?" Shades said, breaking the silence. Joe glanced at his watch, and then looked over at Clarisse, who was stifling a yawn.

"I think we might bow out and go to bed," he said, taking Clarisse's hand in his and getting to his feet. "It's getting rather chilly out here…. But don't let us spoil your fun… I'm sure you youngsters could keep going all night…."

Sebastian and Sheila, both laughing, followed suit getting to their feet and yawning.

"Hang on… we've still got Mia to do truth or dare… what do you choose?" Charlotte said, looking over at Mia with a sly grin.

"Truth… I'm too tired to do a dare at the moment."

"Okay… what's the best thing about being Queen of Genovia, and the worst thing?"

"Hmmm, I think the best thing would have to be all the clothes… I get everything before everyone else does!" Mia said with a gleeful smile, and Clarisse chuckled inwardly at Mia's answer. She would never admit it, but that was one aspect of the job she enjoyed- all the lovely clothes designers made for her, although her tastes had changed over the years…

"But, "Mia continued, with an unusually thoughtful look on her face. "I also enjoy the work I'm doing… alright, parliament can be a little tricky, but the rest is very interesting… I can't understand what Grandma disliked about it, personally!" She threw a cheeky smile in Clarisse's direction, and Clarisse only smiled tiredly and shook her head.

"If I wasn't so tired, I would think of a quick comeback, but…." She trailed off as she smiled around at the people around her, more than pleased that she had decided to come camping.

"On that note, everyone, good night!" Joe said cheerfully, leading Clarisse towards their tent.

0000

Clarisse crawled in first, followed by Joe, who zipped up both partitions of the tent behind him.

"I just have one question, Joseph… How on earth am I going to be able to find my pajamas in the dark?" she asked as she sat on the edge of the mattress (or so she could tell through touch), and Joe, who seemed to be close beside her, laughed softly as he leaned over and switched on his battery operated light.

"Easy… As you can see, I am thoroughly prepared," he said as he rummaged under his pillow for his pajamas, and she rummaged through her bags.

"No one will be able to see through this, will they?" Clarisse asked as she found her flannelette pajamas, a pair she hadn't realised she had had until she had packed the evening before.

"No- the tents are made up of several different layers, just to prevent rain from coming in, that separate us from the next tent…but, if you want, I can put up one of the blankets!"

"No, I'll be alright," she said, before they changed in silence, while listening to the others talking outside by the fire, although it was muffled by the closed tent flaps. Clarisse buttoned up her shirt, and chuckled to herself as she wondered how they were both going to get into the sleeping bag but, when she turned around, she found that Joseph had opened the sleeping bag right up.

"I thought you would like to have the middle part," he said as she sat on the side she usually slept on, and Joseph covered her with the bag.

"Thank you… as usual, you are very thoughtful," she said as he sat in beside her, and he zipped it almost up to the top. Joe waited as she wriggled herself down into the bag, before moving gently down as well, switching off the light as he went and they giggled at each other like children when she turned to face him with a warm smile.

"I'm glad you suggested this," she said happily as he kissed the tip of her nose.

"So am I," he said before he kissed her tenderly on the lips. "That was rather brave what you did out there before, darling! I didn't think you would do it!"

"Yes, I think Mia thought she went too far… But I didn't mind- it was you I was kissing, so it was a win win situation," she said calmly. "Besides, it's time we stopped being so shy about our relationship with our friends..."

They lay in the dark for a moment, listening as the others began making moves to head towards bed- Sebastian and Sheila had followed Clarisse and Joe- and Nicholas was making loud complaints about the hard surface of the tent.

"Nick… I figured that, since you would forget, I brought it along instead…" they heard Mia murmur as they crawled into their tent, next door to Clarisse and Joe, and they both laughed when they heard Nick yell out :

"YES!"

"So Mia brought hers along too," Joe murmured as Clarisse cuddled up to him, and she chuckled softly.

"In her condition it would be necessary, but I advised her to do it. Not everyone would have been as smart as you, my love," she said. "I don't know about Charlotte or Lily, but I know Sheila brought hers too!"

"Did you want to go for an early morning hike in the morning?" Joseph asked quickly- he had been thinking about it for a lot of the evening, and he thought it would be nice. "That is, if you can manage to get out of bed at an early hour…"

"I would love it… and yes, I will be able to get up early," Clarisse retorted, smiling as she heard giggles from Mia and Nicholas's tent next door. "Listen…" she stopped talking and Joe listened as he heard Shades call (in a whisper)

"Charlie! Are you coming there, or am I coming there?"

"Sshh!" came Charlotte's embarrassed reply. "People might be trying to get to sleep!"

"Well I do too, as soon as I know where I'm going to be sleeping…Besides, they can't hear us at all!" Shades called in a louder voice, and Mia's tent erupted into loud laugher again, and Clarisse buried her face in Joseph's pajama shirt so she wouldn't be heard laughing.

"I don't know… maybe I should come there," Charlotte said hesitantly, rather embarrassed about discussing sleeping arrangements in front of her current and previous bosses.

"Shades, you be the gentleman and go to her tent… just make sure you stay there!" Joe, trying desperately not to laugh, called out and there was silence before the scurrying of feet and hurried whispers told them they were doing what had been suggested.

"You are such a tease, Joseph Bonnell." Clarisse said when she finally stopped laughing. "But I do love you. I'm glad that I decided to come on this camping trip!"

"I love you too… and I am so glad that you're here with me tonight!" before he pulled her close and kissed her.


	7. Early Morning Hike

_Author's Note: Okay, so this chapter isn't exactly short either! But I just kept writing…it was great. Thank you to all the wonderful reviews- they really make my day, and inspire me to keep writing!_

_The Princess Diaries belongs to Meg Cabot and Disney_

Joseph opened his eyes and stared at the inside of the tent ceiling for a moment, trying to gather his bearings as the weak light from the sinking moon illuminated the tent slightly… he had somehow dreamed that Clarisse and the rest of the girls had come and joined them camping, but he surely had to be dreaming… his ladylike wife wouldn't do something like that…

Suddenly, a movement from beside him startled him, and he glanced over to see that Clarisse was also awake and staring at the ceiling. When she realised that he was watching her, she turned over on her side to face him, a radiant smile on her lips. She looked just as lovely when she woke up in the morning as when she was dressed up and attending a fancy function, although it had never mattered to Joseph.

"Good morning, darling," she said sweetly as he turned over to face her, before kissing him softly on the mouth.

"Good morning beautiful," Joseph responded contentedly as Clarisse snuggled up closer to him and he softly kissed the top of her head. "How long have you been awake?'

"Not long… I was just a little confused about where I was when I heard the birds outside, but once I got my bearings… I was just thinking about how lovely and quiet this spot is…."

"When the rest of the entourage is still asleep, that is," Joe joked with an easy smile, and Clarisse snickered softly to herself.

"This is so nice and cozy," Clarisse breathed as they lay there for a moment, just enjoying the presence of the other person in the tent. "I thought it might be squashed in here last night, but I was very comfortable and warm… and the mattress definitely contributed to my good night's sleep!"

They were speaking in soft voices as they were both well aware that the others would all still be asleep.

"Did you still want to go on a hike this morning?" Joe asked as he wove his arms around her and suddenly not wanting to leave the tent or the sleeping bag…this was pure magic, being alone with her, in the great outdoors… She looked at him amusedly.

"Why? Are you feeling lazy this morning?"

"No… no...actually," he realised there was no point trying to fib as Clarisse looked at him with her clear and piercing eyes. "I really don't want to get up this morning… it's so nice and cozy here with you, and I could stay here all day!"

Clarisse laughed softly.

"I very much doubt Scott or Mia would let us do that… but we've still got another couple of days to fight it out with them. I'd like to go for that hike, but only if you want to, and if your knees aren't too bad," she added hastily, and Joe had to smile. Even now, she was still so considerate of everyone around her…even him…most especially him.

"I don't mind at all, and my knees are fine…although, if I'd had to stand any longer on one leg last night, I don't think I would be quite so eager to go."

"Cheeky monkeys," Clarisse said lightly as she stretched her arms out in front of her, and Joe almost regretfully unzipped the sleeping bag, allowing the cool air in. "Aaah…it's still chilly outside, I see," Clarisse cried as the cool air reached her, and she shivered. "I guess I had better dress quickly… that is, if I can find the clothes I want!"

She was lucky, however, to find them, and all too soon they were both dressed and crawling out of the tent. Clarisse looked around her with a smile, and took a deep breath in- although the air was still fresh, there was a scent in the air that couldn't be found even in her beloved rose garden… it was the smell of nature. Although it was still partly dark, the horizon beginning to lighten, she could make out the silhouettes of the other tents, silent as their occupants continued to sleep, and the smoldering fire, which had almost burnt out completely.

"I want to wake up Scott," Joseph whispered as they crept slowly through the campsite. "The only problem is I don't know which tent he's in!"

"Don't be cruel," Clarisse chided in a whisper, gently pulling him away from the nearest tent he was looking longingly at. "I know you love waking up early in the morning, but not everyone is like you!"

0000000

"So, where are you taking me?" Clarisse asked, the campsite disappearing behind them as they walked in the opposite direction to where they had headed the day before. "I hope you know what you're doing, Joseph… I'm not sure I would like being lost!" but there was a tone of amusement in her voice as she said it.

"We won't get lost… I've been to this area several times, and I know it like the back of my hand," Joe pretended to grumble as Clarisse moved closer to him, and looped her arm through his. Now that they were getting further away from the camp, they were able to talk in their normal voices.

"My hero," she murmured softly, and he kissed her on the top of her hair. "Do you know whether Phillipe and Rupert came this way at all?"

"I think I can remember Phillipe telling me about this place… actually, yes, he was the one who told me about it before I came here the first time- he gave me specific directions to follow, and he was right! Apparently he and his friends had accidentally stumbled upon it, but Phillipe always hiked this way whenever he was camping. He thoroughly recommended it, and he loved it."

"Really?" Clarisse said softly, happy that Phillipe had been busy, even with his royal duties, and even more pleased that he had told Joseph about it. She knew that Phillipe had liked Joseph very much (more so than his brother), and she often heard them discussing the latest football or basketball game televised from the United States. She had teased them fairly often, calling them 'sports nuts', but she had enjoyed seeing the relationship between them.

Joseph, who had been watching her expressions soften at the very thought of Phillipe, gently squeezed her hand, bringing her back from her thoughts.

"He was actually planning on bringing you out here the next time he went camping… for the day, of course, but he wanted you to see this view… it's spectacular."

"He was going to bring me out here?" Clarisse said, her voice choking up with tears as Joe pulled her close to him and hugged her tightly. "He asked me to go camping with them once, you know, when he was about 12… maybe he was going to show me then…"

"Maybe, but he definitely planned on bringing you out here… and Mia too, eventually…he really did love camping," and Joe went quiet at the thought of the young man that had been so much like his mother, and dying when he had been about to embark on the biggest challenge of his life…

He suddenly remembered Clarisse then, and looked at her- maybe it wasn't such a good idea telling her that story…

"Are you alright?" he looked at her with such love and concern in his face that it almost brought tears to her eyes again.

"I'm fine… I just never knew that… Thank you for telling me that story…"

00000000

They had been walking for nearly twenty minutes when they came to a very steep hill, and Clarisse groaned softly as she looked up at the climb.

"I'm suddenly wishing I'd listened to you and stayed in bed!" Joseph laughed softly, and gently laced his fingers with hers.

"We're here now, and we're going to do this… believe me, when you get to the top, you will be so glad that you made the effort."

It was indeed a very steep climb, and Clarisse wondered whether they were actually going to make it before the sunrise, as the horizon was almost aflame as the sun began to creep over.

"Are you sure we're going to make this?" she asked as they stopped, halfway up, for a brief rest. "I think the sun is going to beat us up!"

"We're almost there… and there's a nice rock where we can sit and watch the view," Joe said encouragingly, and Clarisse only whimpered slightly in the back of her throat. She didn't know how Josephs' knees weren't playing merry havoc on him, but she had forgotten that she hadn't done this sort of walking for many years.

"You'll carry me back if I don't make it?" she gasped slightly as they finally came to the peak of the hill. She completely missed his response, and her slight aches and pains as well as her breathlessness suddenly disappeared as she came face to face with the view… it was absolutely stupendous!

Although the hill had been difficult and steep, Joseph had been right- she was more than grateful that she had made the effort. Looking down into the valley, crowded with trees and foliage, she could see part of the river and… in, the distance as a tiny speck, and she could just make out the campsite, which looked quiet and still.

The sun was coming up over the horizon as Joe led her over to the rock, and sat down beside her. She was speechless with awe, and Joe knew that he had done the right thing bringing her up here.

"Impressed?" he teasingly murmured into her ear, and she silently nodded as her eyes drank in the view… and it seemed, although it was a long, long, long way off, as though she could see the ocean…but that was ridiculous, she told herself.

As she sat there, holding Joseph's hand, she though about Phillipe again, and was struck with a pang of grief that she hadn't felt for a long time… although it was priceless being there with her beloved Joseph, she would have liked to seen it with Phillipe as well, she thought a little sadly as memories of her son swept over her.

After a moment of introspection, Joseph watching her carefully and knowing that she was reflecting deeply, she realised that she was being silly… Phillipe would have much preferred Joseph bringing her here than him… and she suddenly realised that Joseph was there, sitting beside her… As a tear, partly of grief and of wonder, slid down her cheek, she looked over at Joseph with a radiant look, a mixture of wonder and grief.

"Thank you for bringing me here… I love it, and I love you," she said as she nestled in closer to him, suddenly feeling at peace.

"I love you," Joe murmured softly into her hair as they continued to watch the sunlight stream through the valley. "By the way, do you remember our first sunrise we saw together… as newlyweds?"

Clarisse, the pang of grief almost subsiding just being in Joseph's arms, looked up at him and rolled her eyes, before grinning at him.

"Do I ever... I first wake up to find you in my bed, and then you want me to see the sun rise…"

"You have to admit, you did enjoy it!"

"Yes, it was very special… our first day as a married couple…" Clarisse admitted with a tender smile as she looked out into the distance…..

* * *

_Clarisse was happily dreaming of Joseph when she suddenly felt someone gently touching her face with their hand, and she woke up with a start…who was doing that?… she kept her eyes closed- surely her security men wouldn't have let anyone strange into her room……_

"_Clarisse, darling?" someone said from near her, and the voice sounded familiar as she opened her eyes and found herself looking into Joseph's dark brown eyes. She frowned for a moment, wondering why was there, before sitting bolt upright in bed, suddenly remembering why he was there… they had gotten married the previous day!_

_  
"We got married yesterday!" she said in surprise and Joseph, sitting on the other side of the bed in his bathrobe, laughed outright at her reaction._

"_Yes we did… I was wondering whether you were going to panic and call for security!" he joked as Clarisse, calming down, fluffed her pillows up against the bed head, and leant against them as she smiled ecstatically over at her new husband._

"_Well, I didn't… aren't you going to kiss me good morning?" she asked innocently, and Joe could only smile- he had dreamed about doing this for so long…_

"_It would be my greatest pleasure," he said before leaning over and giving her a long, sweet and adoring kiss. "Good morning, my beautiful wife."_

"Good morning, my handsome husband… I can't believe it," she said softly, looking down at her left hand, which now had a plain gold band on the ring finger. Yesterday had seemed like a dream, but he was here… She glanced over at the bedside cabinet and gasped- it was almost six in the morning!

"Much as I love waking up to see you in the morning," she began, slowly sinking back into bed. "I think I need more sleep!"

"Actually, I was thinking that we could see the sun rise… I know we've seen it together more than once, but it's our first as newlyweds, and it could be a lovely way to begin our marriage…"

Joe reddened after he finished, and looked away bashfully, but Clarisse was no longer sinking back into bed. She knew that Joseph was a sensitive man, but she had never realised the depth of his emotions… she shifted over to his side of the bed, and took his hand in hers. 

"_I think that's a lovely idea, darling. Just give me a few minutes to get dressed!"_

_  
She was out of bed and heading towards her cupboard, when she turned and noticed that Joseph was still sitting on the bed, looking at her in awe._

"_What?"_

"You just called me darling."

"Oh Joseph," Clarisse, touched, came and sat down next to him again. "There have been many occasions over the years when I've wanted to call you that, but I can now… you're my husband… why, would you prefer me to say 'hey you?'" 

"_No… there's going to be a lot of first for us, my love… and that was one of them," he said shyly, and she kissed him gently on the cheek._

"_And that is a wonderful thing for us to enjoy together!"_

_0000000_

_The halls were deserted as they hurried, hand in hand, down the stairs. Clarisse was heading towards the main door, but Joseph tugged on her hand gently._

"_I've got a secret way to see the sun rise…" he said with a cheeky grin, and led her back through the palace, past her study and the security room, before stopping outside a door that had a sign on it: KEEP OUT._

"_Technically" he said as he opened the door and followed her in, switching the light on as he went. "You aren't allowed up here… this could be dangerous even for me, but I just loved doing this sometimes!"_

_  
"Joseph," Clarisse gasped as she saw the metal stairs in front of them. "Are we going onto the roof?"_

"_Yes… that is, if you want to." He was rather nervous about his idea, but when he looked at her face, he knew he had her answer- she looked excited._

"_I've always wanted to go onto the roof, but my security detail…namely, you… wouldn't me! I can't believe I'm going to do this!" Joseph waved her for to climb the steps first, but she shook her head._

"_I would rather follow you up."_

_  
"Oh, so if I happen to get injured, you can run away?" Joe teased over he shoulder as he began climbing the stairs, Clarisse a few steps behind._

"_Of course!"_

_It wasn't a particularly long climb, and Clarisse had to blink quickly for a few seconds after Joseph helped her onto the roof, as the sun was almost over the horizon. She looked around her for a moment, unable to believe that she was on the roof, before she walked to the edge (while being careful not to get too close), and gasped when she saw the sight of her garden, bathed in early morning light._

"_Magnificent view, isn't it?" came a voice from beside her, and she turned to smile happily at Joseph as his arm wound around her waist, and she moved in closer to lean on him._

"_I can't believe you denied me so many opportunities to do this, Joseph… this is extraordinary! I can, however, understand why… but this…this…" she was almost lost for words as Joe chuckled into her ear._

"_I hope this makes the first day of our married life memorable," he teased as she turned to look at him with love radiating from every pore._

"_It does, it does…and I love you for bringing me up here!"_

_  
"I love you too," he said before kissing her tenderly on the lips. "Are you happy now, darling?"_

"_Two days ago, I didn't think I would ever be happy again," she faltered as they both remembered the scene in the ballroom. "But now… I am… more than I could ever imagine!"_

* * *

"I'm not sure I've excused you for not showing me that spot earlier," Clarisse teased huskily as they continued looking at the view in front of them. "But that certainly helped… although I do understand why… I just hope that Nicholas doesn't get the idea…"

"Don't worry, I won't be telling Nick about that little secret," Joe said as he wrapped his arms around her- there was still a slight breeze in the air, and he could tell that she was shivering.

"I know they are going to be so happy together… you just have to see it in Mia's eyes," Clarisse said as she looked out and thought about the young couple, as well as Phillipe. "The new addition next year will certainly be cause for celebration!"

"By the way, are we still the only ones that know… do you know whether she's told the others yet?"

"I don't think so, otherwise, if she had, they'd be all treating her like a piece of fragile glass… But I hope she tells them soon- I think they would all like to be celebrating it! I wish Phillipe had been here for this…"

"He is in a way, and we both know that he would thoroughly approve of everything that has happened to both you and Mia…"

"Everything?" Clarisse teased, and he laughed.

"Of course… that's right, I've never told you about my little conversation I had with Phillipe before…. Anyway, I've never told you, have I?"

"No, and since you've piqued my interest, you're going to have to follow through with it!

* * *

_Joseph walked through the palace, fresh from a meeting with Her Majesty ('meeting' being a stroll in the garden), and he was looking forward to a strong cup of coffee. Clarisse was in a meeting with Sebastian Motez and Charlotte for at least an hour, so she had given him an hour off._

"_You don't need to be standing outside my study for the next hour!" she said with a laugh._

_He was walking past Phillipe's private study, formerly the King's, when he heard someone inside call out his name. "Joe!"_

_He stopped for a moment, and when he heard his name called out again, he assumed that the Prince wanted to see him. Curious, he walked through the partially opened doors and found His Royal Highness, Prince Phillipe Renaldi, heir to the throne of Genovia, sprawled out on the couch watching basketball on the new television he had had installed that week. Not knowing whether the Prince had heard him, Joseph coughed discreetly, and Phillipe turned from the television with a wide grin._

"_Hey Joe… the game's just started, and I was hoping you'd walk by… did you want to join me?"_

_Joe grinned- everyone in the palace knew that Phillipe's obsession with basketball had begun when he had been in America, and it had never abated since then… in fact, it had, if at all possible, had gotten even worse… He had even converted Joseph to the game, and Joe enjoyed watching the games on television, when he had the time…_

"_I was on my way to get a coffee and have a break…"Joe began weakly, his eyes glued to the screen, wanting to sit down and watch the game, as he had done many times before, with Phillipe. Phillipe grinned, knowing Joseph's other weakness… his other weakness was the Queen, Phillipe's mother… and he thoroughly approved._

"_I'll ring for two cups of coffee later, if you want… and I'm sure that Mother won't mind you watching a game with me!"_

"_Alright," Joe gave in easily, sinking into a nearby chair, and instantly becoming involved in the game. At half time, Phillipe looked over at Joe with a grin._

"_So what have you been up to today, Joe?"_

"Well, your mother has been busy with parliament meetings and such, and we had just gone for a walk in the garden when you called me in here… I think she had more meetings this afternoon, so she gave me an hour off."

"Perfect timing for a basketball game," Phillipe grinned easily, before sobering up for a moment, another thought on his mind. 

"_You work closely with her, Joe… I'm worried about her- she's looking rather tired lately."_

_  
"She has been very busy, Your Highness… not only has she had affairs of state to keep up with, but I think she's also very involved in planning your coronation," he finished with a slightly teasing look at Phillipe, who only grinned broadly._

"_I can't believe it's in June…only three months away…I never thought I'd be King of Genovia, I always thought that it was Pierre that was going to be the pride of the family…" he trailed off with a sigh, and looked away for a moment. _

_Joe looked thoughtfully at the young man- although it had been a major disappointment to Rupert and Clarisse when Pierre had given up the throne, Joseph suspected that Phillipe was temperamentally more suited to the role… he had told Clarisse many times that he would do a good job, not that she needed to hear it, and Joe would be proud to see him crowned… There were times when he had almost been like a son to him._

"_Anyway… when I become King, Mother is going to have a lot more time on her hands," Phillipe said, coming back from his thoughts, and looking back at Joe. "So… are you going to marry her then?" _

_Joe stared at him for a moment, unable to believe what he was hearing… her son was asking whether he would marry her… how he had known about their close relationship… After so many years of working at the palace, his first thought was denial._

"_I don't know what you're talking about, Phillipe…" Joseph stuttered, but Phillipe looked at him with a knowing smile. "That's completely ridiculous… we're just friends… that's all!"_

_  
"Sure, just friends. That may be alright for other people, but I have seen the chemistry between you two, and that is a lot more than friendship!" Phillipe teased, and Joe looked away for a moment. _

"_I… we're…" Joseph was still lost for words as Phillipe looked at him seriously._

"_Joseph, you just have to see the two of you together to see that you are completely devoted to her, and Mother absolutely adores you… I think you're the only man who has ever made her really come to life! That's something I will always be grateful for… my father cared very deeply about her, but you give her something more… I thoroughly approve, Joe, and that would be the icing on my cake when I'm King (besides having Amelia and her mother here) - you tie the knot with my mother… So, are you going to marry her?" he looked earnestly at Joseph, who couldn't help but laugh before giving Phillipe an honest answer… it had crossed his mind several times over the years, particularly as their feelings had grown stronger…_

"_I would love to marry her, I have always wanted to…but what do you think she would do?"_

"_She would do it in a heartbeat, Joe… believe me!" Phillipe laughed wisely and Joseph had the feeling that Phillipe knew more than he was letting on. _

_"But promise me, Joe," he looked serious again. "You will make her happy… one day, you will be together…"_

_  
"One day, Phillipe, I hope that we will be together…" He was going to say more, but a noise in the doorway distracted them, and the sound of heels made them look towards the door to see Clarisse standing there, a broad smile on her face._

"_So there's my Head of Security and my son…I've been looking for both of you everywhere!"_

* * *

"So you didn't hear any of that conversation?" Joe asked as he stood up and stretched, before giving Clarisse a steadying hand up.

"No, I didn't… but I had the feeling that Phillipe was plotting something like that…I'll tell you about my conversation later… but, hadn't we better get back? I'm sure the others will probably be up and about… although I really don't want to walk down that hill again" she groaned, looking at the hill in askance. Joe laughed

"Don't worry… I've made sure that there's an alternative route back to the campsite- and it's much less hilly on this side!"

"Alright… let's go…" Clarisse paused for a moment, looking out at the spectacular view in front of her again, and enjoying it. Joseph offered her his hand, and she took it after a moment with a warm smile.

"Thank you," she said softly, looking back at the view and then at him. "I had wished I had seen this with Phillipe, but after hearing that story, I think I know who I was supposed to see it with… and I'm glad I did!"


	8. Gone Fishin'

_Author's Note: the fishing scenes may seem a little muddled, and simple, but I'm don't really fish… So, if there are any fishing fanatics out there, I'm sorry for the inaccuracies and mistakes… I barely understood it when I looked it up so I just did the best I could do!_

_The Princess Diaries belongs to Meg Cabot and Disney_

After wandering back slowly, having a few rests along the way, Clarisse and Joe finally re-entered the camp half an hour later, and were surprised to see that only Sebastian and Sheila were up… and, it seemed, that they too had been out and about early.

"We decided to go for a stroll to the river… but Sebastian couldn't resist taking his fishing rod along!" Sheila laughed softly as she and Clarisse collapsed into chairs, while Joe and Sebastian began stoking up the fire in preparation for breakfast.

"Joseph took me on a rather steep hike this morning… and I thought, for a moment, that I wouldn't make it up the hill… By the way, darling, would you have carried me back if I hadn't made it?" she looked at Joseph teasingly as he carried a small pile of sticks into the campsite.

After piling them into the fire, he turned to the two women with a grin.

"I tried to convince you it would be better if we slept in…. But, of course, I would have helped you back… it wouldn't have looked too good if I hadn't!"

"Cheeky man!" Clarisse retorted, but they exchanged a loving smile that showed how much they loved teasing each other.

"Anyway," Clarisse continued, turning back to Sheila. "It was definitely worth climbing that hill to see that view…" she paused for a moment, thinking back on the view and the emotions she had felt, before adding.

"It was absolutely beautiful… apparently Phillipe had been there a few times as well…."

She looked thoughtfully into the slowly burning fire, galvanized into action by the addition of Joseph's pile of firewood, before glancing around the silent campsite, a smile on her lips.

"Don't tell me the others are still asleep… I thought they were all planning on getting up early to go fishing!"

"After the antics we heard going on outside last night, it was a wonder they went to sleep at all!" Joe said, exchanging an amused look with Sebastian, before sitting down next to his wife, and handing her her hat. "I thought you might like this now that the sun is up!"

"Thank you, dear," Clarisse said, kissing him on the cheek before putting her hat on- she had always been conscious of the sun and she was glad to see that Joseph had brought one of his old fishing hats with him.

"Anyway, they really don't need to be up right now… breakfast won't be ready for a while yet," Joe added comfortably before a noise, in the direction of the forest, startled them.

They all turned to see Mia, clad in pajamas and sneakers, emerging from the forest looking pale and slightly green.

"I don't know whether I'll be able to cope if the next six months are like this!" she said to them before disappearing into her tent, zipping it up behind her. There was a slight silence before Clarisse turned back to look at Sheila and Sebastian, both of whom were beaming.

"That confirms an inkling I've had for a little while," Sheila said diplomatically. "But this is wonderful news…."

"I don't know whether she was actually aware who she was speaking to…."

"Don't worry, we'll be just as excited as when she makes the announcement official… You two don't seem very surprised," Sebastian said teasingly.

"Well… Mia told me the night before we left, and I was allowed to tell Joseph, but it was a secret… We wanted you all to know," Clarisse tried explaining, feeling bad, but Sebastian only laughed and waved a hand airily.

"It makes sense that you two should know before us… but mum's the word!"

Just then, there was movement from the tent on the other side of the fire, and a few minutes later out stepped a sleepy Shades, clad in the same jeans and t-shirt he had been wearing the day before.

"Good morning Scott!" Joseph and Sebastian called out loudly, their wives rolling their eyes, and Shades rubbed his eyes hard before managing to focus on the two couples sitting on the other side of the fire.

"Morning," he mumbled as he staggered over to the tent next door, and banged on the tent. "Kip! Are you awake in there?"

There was a mumbled reply from inside the tent, and the flaps unzipped as Lily crawled out, dressed and looking wide awake as, from the tent Shades had recently vacated, Charlotte crawled out looking just as awake and dressed as Lily.

"You two guys aren't too organized!" Lily said, watching as Shades crawled into the tent, before exchanging a grin with Charlotte.

"I thought you were all planning on getting up early to go fishing!" Sebastian couldn't resist calling out with a laugh, and was answered by the tent being zipped up quickly.

"Oh… we were," Charlotte began, looking slightly embarrassed at being caught out with Shades in her tent, as the two young women walked over to the others. "But… we both kind of overslept… Why, did you all get up and go fishing?"

"We were meant to be going for a stroll down by the river, but Sebastian ended up fishing!" Sheila said, before throwing a fond look at her sheepish husband.

"We went for a hike, and saw the sun rise," Joe added cheerfully, squeezing Clarisse's hand and both Charlotte and Lily looked stunned as they dragged another two chairs over and positioned them next to Sebastian, but still facing the fire.

"Wow… you guys really must like the great outdoors!" Lily said with an amazed look, before realizing that neither Mia nor Nicholas were around. "Aren't the royal newlyweds up yet?" she added as she looked over at the silent tent behind Clarisse and Joe.

She grinned impishly, an idea coming to mind, as she stood up and walked over to the closed tent flaps. Clarisse, a little concerned about how Mia had looked only a few minutes before, started up.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Lily," she said hesitantly, before everyone heard Mia call from inside the tent.

"We're both awake, Lily… you don't need to wake us up!" before sounds of both she and Nicholas laughing drifted through the tent material. Clarisse relaxed, and sat back down again, but Lily was not to be discouraged.

"Okay, if you're both awake then how come you're not out here with the rest of us, enjoying this beautiful morning?"

"I was out there a few minutes ago, and the only people I saw were Sheila, Sebastian, Joe and Grandma… You were still in bed, so don't try and guilt trip me!" came the retort from inside the tent as the rest of them tried not to laugh at the conversation.

A moment later, the tent flaps were unzipped and out came Mia and Nicholas, both dressed and looking smug.

"Besides," Mia said with a smirk as she looked around. "I don't see Kip or Scott out here at all!"

"They're getting dressed," Lily said quickly as Mia laughed and went to get a drink of water from the water supply they had brought with them. She turned to smile brightly at the others, and Clarisse was relieved to see that she looked much better.

"So… where were the rest of you early this morning? I heard people whispering and tiptoeing through camp… don't tell me you all went fishing!" she asked as she picked another chair up, only to have Joseph hurriedly take it out of her hands. "Thank you Joe," she beamed as she sank into her chair next to him, before looking around again at the others.

"I know Charlotte and Lily were still asleep, so that just leaves the older members of the group!"

"Well… we went fishing…or, rather I did," Sebastian said sheepishly.

"We went on a hike to see the sun rise, and the view was absolutely marvellous," Clarisse said calmly and Mia raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"I would have thought that you would have slept in this morning!"

"That's the plan for tomorrow," Joe added with a laugh, and Mia giggled along with him. He glanced around and saw that Nicholas was disappearing into the food tent, so he stood up and went to join him, giving Clarisse the opportunity to sit next to Mia for a moment. The others, recently joined by a wide awake Shades and Kip, were busy talking and didn't notice her move.

"Are you feeling alright?" she asked in a low voice, careful not to let anyone hear her.

"Just a little morning sickness, that's all. It's worse than when we were back at the palace… I just hope it doesn't last…."

"Are there any dry biscuits in the tent?"

"Dry biscuits?" Mia looked at her, slightly confused.

"It's supposed to help with nausea, and I used it while I was… anyway, I think I saw some biscuits being packed when we came…" Mia smiled at her.

"I'll make sure to find them… thanks Grandma!" before Clarisse moved back to her chair to rejoin the conversation.

0000000

After enjoying a long and leisurely breakfast in the rapidly warming August sunshine, Shades and Kip were just about finished the washing up when Scott turned around and surveyed the group.

"So, what are we going to do for the rest of the day?"

"I'm definitely taking Clarisse fishing," Joe said as he sat back in his chair with a grin, and Clarisse pretended to look bored.

"Who says I was going to go fishing?" she said teasingly, before laughing at Joe's astonished look on his face.

"Yes, I think fishing sounds like a good plan to me," Sebastian said with a broad grin, and Sheila couldn't resist laughing at his happy expression.

"I think I might stay here this morning," Mia, who hadn't eaten much breakfast at all, said with a wan smile and Lily was quick to jump in before anyone else.

"I'll stay here with Mia… I can go fishing any other time," she said with a shrug.

Clarisse was concerned about Mia, but she thought that Mia's plan to stay behind was a good idea, not to mention the biscuits…. Hopefully she would be able to come back and check on her at lunchtime… she was rather concerned about her fishing skills. The previous times she had been fishing, they hadn't been very successful, but she knew Joseph would be a patient teacher.

"Well, it's getting late so we'd better go if we want to get some decent fishing time in," Scott said with a decisive air, and everyone couldn't help but catch some of his enthusiasm. While Joseph was retrieving their fishing rods from their tent, Clarisse leaned over Mia's chair.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"I'll be fine, Grandma," Mia patted Clarisse's hand reassuringly. "Lily's very good company…."

"Have you told Nicholas the news?"

"Yes, last night… Did you hear him yell out?"

"Yes… but we thought that it was because of the mattress you brought with you…."

"Well, it wasn't," Mia stood up and looked at her with tears in her eyes. "He's so thrilled about the news… in fact, I think this might be the time to tell everyone…."

She turned and called everyone to attention- Clarisse, Joseph now by her side, took his hand and was squeezing it tightly as Sebastian and Sheila, sensing the moment, stood grinning. Only Lily, Kip, Charlotte and Shades seemed to be in the dark. Mia turned as Nicholas came and stood by her side, squeezing her shoulders affectionately.

"I've been keeping a secret from most of you for the past few days, but it's getting rather difficult to keep it, particularly as I'm not looking that great…but," she looked at Nicholas with a beaming smile, and Clarisse was nearly in tears at the sight of them looking at each other. "I thought it would be easier to tell you now… Nicholas and I are going to have a baby early next year some time!"

They stood and grinned expectantly at everyone as Clarisse, who had already known but was suddenly swept away with emotion, walked over and embraced her granddaughter again.

"I know I've already congratulated you, but I'm doing it again," she murmured into Mia's ear, before moving on to Nicholas. Joe just looked at her for a moment, never realizing how much he loved this young woman in front of him, before hugging her.  
"What do you think about Gramps?" she whispered into his ear, and he had to laugh at the suggestion.

"We've still got six months to decide that," he said as Sebastian and Sheila joined the line up. Lily let out a squeal of excitement, quite unlike her, and raced over to hug Mia tightly, followed by Charlotte. Kip and Scott were rather more circumspect, but even they were pleased for the young couple.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Charlotte asked anxiously after the moment had passed, and Mia laughed.

"Lily and I'll be fine… we may even come down and see you later… Now go, I know the men don't want to miss their fishing time!"

* * *

Both Charlotte and Sheila were in raptures as they walked down the track that Clarisse and Joe had taken a few hours before, but making a detour onto a well worn path veering to the left. 

"A new royal baby- this is a cause for celebration!" Charlotte couldn't resist crying out, and Shades looked at her, slightly perturbed.

"It's only a baby, Charlie… what's the point of getting so excited about a baby!"

"Men don't understand these types of things," Charlotte sniffed haughtily, but then smiled. She was so happy for Mia and Nicholas… it was going to be a wonderful time at the palace. Clarisse and Joe were trailing slightly behind the others, Clarisse deep in thought for a moment.

"It's been almost 45 years since the last royal baby," Clarisse said softly, remembering that it was Mia's father that had been that baby, and memories of his arrival made her feel tender inside. Joe, walking along beside her, squeezed her hand gently, and she smiled lovingly at him. It had been a lovely secret between them, but she was also glad that the others knew as well.

"So, what are you going to be called, Joe?" Scott, who was leading the expedition, called from the front of the group, glancing back with an impish look. "I can imagine you being called Grandpa… or Poppy!"

"That is yet to be decided, Scott," Joe said easily as Clarisse pressed his hand in return- only she knew how much the name would mean to him- once it was decided upon.

Just then Nicholas, who had been following Shades, pointed delightedly ahead of him, almost poking Scott in the eye.

"Here we are!"

Clarisse had to wait a few moments until they had navigated their way through a clump of trees, but she almost gasped when she saw the scene in front of her… the river seemed to stretch out forever, both shore wise and in length… In the distance, she could see the far shore or the river, but she just stood on the rock lined bank for a moment, completely taken aback, and unaware of the others passing her by. Joseph, walking beside her, chuckled softly at her reaction

"Almost as good as this morning?" he murmured into her ear, and she smiled at him.

"Almost…."

She followed Joseph down to where the others were busily setting up, and was fascinated to see that Scott had barred a particular spot for himself and Charlotte.

"This is the place where the fish will definitely come," he was explaining eagerly to Charlotte as they passed, and Clarisse couldn't help but catch an exasperated Charlotte's eye.

"I figured it out, and I think we might have been too far of course yesterday… Besides, I think this might be my… our…lucky day! I think we'll be catching our first fish within half an hour, if not sooner!"

Nicholas, who was standing a few metres away listening to the conversation, rolled his eyes.

"You don't know where the fish are going to go, Scott… Besides, I'm going to be the one who catches the first fish!"

"I don't think so," Kip joined in with a grin. "I go fishing quite a lot, and I know the tricks of the trade…"

It was shaping up into a major competition between the three of them before, luckily, Sebastian stepped in to calm the waters.

"Boy, boys, boys," he said calmly, stepping into the middle of their group. "This is not a competition, but rather a time to relax…" he trailed off, before a sparkle appeared in his eyes.

"But who wants to wager that they'll catch the first fish? I, for one, think it's either going to be me or Sheila!"

"Don't get me involved in this!" Sheila said from a little way away as the other three young men agreed to the wager, before turning to Joseph.

"Joe, are you in?"

"I don't think so, boys," Joe said with a grin. "As Sebastian said, it's not a competition- and I noticed he didn't follow his own advice- and I'm would just like to relax with my wife…" he trailed off with a slight smirk, before continuing walking on down the shore.

"Have you got a lucky spot?" Clarisse asked curiously as they stopped in front of a rock formation that jutted out into the river. "I don't mind where we go."

"I don't think luck will help, despite what young Scott thinks… but this rock would be a good place to try… and we'll be a little further out than the others, if you want to try…"

"Alright… but, I'm warning you, I don't know that much about fishing…"

"Don't worry, I'll be right there to help you… let's go out there."

They walked carefully out on the slightly slippery rocks, and found a good spot where they could stand (or even sit) comfortably. Joe looked back at the others, still on the banks, and grinned when he heard Scott bellow out: "That's cheating!"

"We're not competing, remember?" Joe called back, before turning to Clarisse. "So, have you actually fished before?"

"Yes I have… Phillipe took me…" Clarisse said with a smile, remembering the occasion very well….

* * *

"_Mother! Mother!" Phillipe's voice echoed through the palace, and came through the study door to where Clarisse was perusing the papers for the next parliament session. Startled, Clarisse looked up to see her 19-year-old son, Phillipe, standing in the doorway, holding two fishing rods._

"_What's wrong, Phillipe?" she asked, putting down her pen, always ready to make time for her son… He had been away at college in America for the past year, and she had missed him greatly. It was now the summer and she wanted to spend as much time as feasibly possible with him before he went back for his second year. _

_"Why are you holding those two fishing rods for?"_

_  
"I'm taking you fishing at the lake," he said decisively, striding into the room, and Clarisse couldn't help but smile at his determined expression._

"_Darling, I've got so much work to do here, I don't think I could possibly… I don't know anything about fishing anyway… why don't you go and ask your father?"_

"I don't want to ask Father," Phillipe said, standing in front of her desk. "I wanted to take you, and I think it would be great fun… who cares that you don't know anything about fishing? Furthermore, you don't have anything really urgent to do… Joe says you've been working in here all day without a break."

"Joseph said that? Well, I must speak to him about that!" but she really wasn't angry. 

"_I'm not going to take no for an answer… Joe knows that you're with me, so he's not coming, so you don't need to worry about him…" Phillipe smiled charmingly at her, and Clarisse couldn't help but cave in- Phillipe somehow always managed to know what to say. She stood up with a smile, before looking down at her tailored suit with a sigh._

"_Alright, I'll come… but you had better give me five minutes to get changed…"_

_000000_

_She was back downstairs in a few minutes, and was rather excited about the expedition… He had managed to 'borrow' one of his father's golf carts, and Clarisse had to fight to stay on the seat as he zipped down past the stables and garden, into the forest._

"_Hadn't you better slow down a little, Phillipe?" she managed to gasp out, and Phillipe, instantly solicitous, slowed down considerably._

"_I'm sorry Mama… I didn't realise you didn't like speeding…"_

"It's not that I don't, but it's rather difficult to stay on a slippery seat like this when you're driving like you just did!"

"It doesn't matter now… we're here!" he said cheerfully, parking so close to the shore of the lake that Clarisse, for a moment, had been worried that they would have driven right into it.

Phillipe quickly hopped from behind the driver's seat, and came around to help her off, and she smiled gratefully at him. 

"_You were always such a gentleman," she teased as he gathered his tackle box and two fishing rods, and led the way to the edge of the lake. He dumped it all on the ground, and handed her a line. She looked at it for a moment, before looking back at him with a confused expression._

"_What am I supposed to do with this now?"_

"_Just wait a minute… I'll hook your line for you, and then I'll show you what to do…"_

_  
Clarisse didn't watch as he baited both lines with worms, but accepted her line back. She looked at it curiously (avoiding the sight of the worm hanging on the hook._

"_Just make sure that no one else is behind you when you cast off, and this is what you do…" Phillipe stood facing the lake, aiming the rod tip towards the river, before raising the rod until it was almost straight up in the air. With an easy flick of the wrist, the line and bait were released onto the lake, making a small splash in the waters. _

_Clarisse looked after it in amazement before Phillipe showed her everything about the rod, and she copied his movements as the line fluttered through the air easily, and landed in the water near where Phillipe's had disappeared._

_  
"Well done, Mama… you could be a natural fisherwoman if you wanted to," Phillipe looked at her proudly for a moment, and she smiled._

"_I can see how this could be relaxing," she said after a moment, before she noticed a slight jerking of her line in the water. She supposed it was only a nibble, or the ripples of the water, so she didn't worry about it too much until a harder jerk almost took the line out of her hand… but she was so startled that she lost her balance and fell into the water…_

_When she emerged, Phillipe was laughing loudly, but managed to hide it as he helped her out of the water._

"_Do you want to go back?" he asked, biting his lip to prevent laughter from escaping, and she threw him a determined look._

"_I don't think so… I'm going to stay here until I catch something…"_

* * *

"Sadly for me, I had to go back inside within half an hour, and I didn't catch a thing," Clarisse said with a sigh as she accepted her now baited line from Joseph, and looked at him expectantly. 

"Do you know how to cast off at all?" he asked as he cast his line into the water, and then setting the rod down into a small pile of heavy rocks. He moved to stand beside her, and he adjusted her hands so that they were resting on the handle of the rod, rather than up on the willowy rod.

"You move it backwards like this," he guided her movements exactly as Phillipe had done, and the rod was almost straight up in the air. "You press the release button on the reel, and with a quick flick of the wrist… There you go," he smiled proudly at her as the line skipped across the water and landed near the middle of the river.

"I could just stand here all day and listen to the sounds of nature," Clarisse beamed happily into the sky as she stood there for a moment, not caring that she was supposed to be paying attention to her rod, but embracing the wild. She had never realised how wonderful the great outdoors could be….

"I think it would be better if you paid attention to your line," Joe gently guided her face back down from the sky, and she only smiled sheepishly at him.

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking how peaceful it is out here…"

They stood for a few moments, and smiled when they heard three young men's voices raised slightly in the distance.

"Obviously they haven't caught a thing yet," Joseph said, reeling his line in before re-casting it again. "I wonder how much the wager is?"

"I'm glad that you decided not to do it…" Clarisse began, before stopping short- her line had just made a rather strong tug.

"Joseph… I think there's something on my line… what do I do now?"

Joe, excited that his wife may have caught something, put his line back down on the ground, and stood beside her.

"Give the rod a quick jerk up and backwards," he instructed her, helping her when she had a little trouble. "As you can tell, the fish is going to put up quite a fight…"

"Joseph, I think you'd better do it…" Clarisse began, before realizing that, with only his support behind her, she was beginning to reel the fish in on her own. "It may be only a little fish… but that line….."

"Almost there… I think I can see it… where's that net?" he disappeared for a moment before kneeling down on the edge of the river, peering into the water. "I can see it….Almost… steady…."

He then scooped the fish out of the water with his net, quickly taking the hook out of its mouth, and staring at it in wonder.

"My goodness, that's a big one!" Clarisse, slightly out of breath from the exertion, dropped her rod onto the rocks, and stepping over to where he was now standing.

"Yes, it is… and you caught it all by yourself, darling!" Joseph looked at her with unabashed pride, and she blushed as he set the net down and took her into his arms to kiss her. "I'm very proud of you for doing that… We'll have a good dinner tonight!"

They both looked down at the fish, and Joseph burst out laughing.

"We'd better go and tell the others… It's a pity I didn't take that bet!"

"Remember, darling, that I was the one who caught it," Clarisse teased, before looking back and seeing Joseph's line jerking. "Actually, Joseph, I think you might have caught one too!"

Joe, seeing the line jerking, grabbed it and quickly reeled in a smaller, but still a good sized fish.

"We definitely don't need anymore food for tonight!" Clarisse laughed as Joseph put both fish into the bucket he had 'borrowed' from Scott that morning and she picked up both lines and the net.

"Why don't we go and join the others for a while?" Joe inquired as they began walking back down the rocks, and Clarisse chuckled- she knew why he wanted to go back with the others!

Nicholas and Scott were still arguing heatedly as Clarisse and Joe approached them, but Sheila almost dropped her fishing rod in surprise when she peered into the bucket.

"Look at these two! Sebastian, come and have a look at this!"

The others hurried over, and Scott's jaw literally dropped open when he saw the two fish in the bucket.

"Clarisse caught the bigger one," Joe said proudly, an arm around Clarisse as they all looked at her in awe.

"Less than two minutes later, Joseph caught the other," Clarisse said, equally as proudly, as Charlotte started laughing.

"I was just saying that it was a pity I didn't join that bet," Joe said jokingly as he set the bucket on the ground and looked around him.

While the women were very pleased, the men looked rather disappointed, although hiding it valiantly.

"But it doesn't matter… so, have there been any nibbles over here?"

"Not really…" Scott began as the men began walking towards the abandoned fishing lines, but Clarisse sat gingerly down on the rocks with her sigh. She was beginning to feel a little tired from everything they had done this morning, but she loved every minute. Joseph, realizing that she wasn't at his side, turned back.

"Are you alright, darling? Don't you want to catch anymore fish?"

"I'm fine… I think I might sit out the rest of this session… I'm more than happy with my catch," she waved to the bucket a little way away. "But I think there might be some more fish that have your name on them," she smiled as he bent down and gave her a tender kiss, before standing up again, and walking back to the others.

"Charlie, are you coming?" Shades called, but Charlotte shook her head as she sat down next to Clarisse, quickly followed by Sheila.

"We're more than happy to let you catch them all today!" she called over to him easily, waving a hand lazily, before Shades and Kip turned back to their fishing.


	9. Swimming

_Author's Note: This story has developed further than I had originally imagined, but I'm having such a great time writing it that it doesn't matter! Thank you to everyone for their reviews- this chapter is for you!_

_The Princess Diaries belongs to Meg Cabot and Disney_

It was an hour later when Mia and Lily emerged from the forests, carrying provisions, and came down to join the women sitting on the grassy knoll near the rocks. Clarisse had been pleased to see that Mia looked much better.

"I did what you suggested, and the dry biscuits helped a lot… I feel so much better," Mia said after she caught her grandmother's significant look. She sat down beside Charlotte and looked out at the five men lined up on the banks of the river.

"How's the fishing going?"

"Well…" Charlotte began hesitantly, before looking at the other two women for a moment.

Things had only slightly improved since Clarisse had decided to sit it out- Joseph had caught another one, and Sebastian had caught on, but the three younger men were getting decidedly frustrated at their lack of success.

"I don't understand this… how come Sebastian caught one, and Joe another one, and they've been in the same area as us all morning!" Scott complained as they stopped for a break, and he sat down next to Charlotte with a heavy sigh. "I just don't understand it!"

"You just need to be patient, Scott," Sebastian said mildly as he bit into one of the sandwiches the girls had made. "You may not get a fish all day… Joe and I were just very fortunate to be able to catch ours…"

"Believe me, we've had our fair share of days when we've missed out on catching anything," Joe said with a sympathetic look as he took a sandwich from the proffered plate, and split it with Clarisse. "You will get one or more… Besides, need I remind you that neither Kip nor Nick have caught anything this morning either!"

"They've both caught a couple in the past few days…" Scott said almost enviously before brightening up. "Well, all I can say is that it was fortunate that Her Majesty caught the first fish, otherwise I would have had to pay Sebastian 50 bucks!"

"You bet 50 dollars that you would catch the first fish?" Mia asked incredulously before looking pointedly at her husband, who seemed to be avoiding looking at her. "I suppose you did the same thing?"

"Yes… but, as Shades said, the bright side is that I don't have to pay it!" Nick said quickly, and Mia's face relaxed into a smile. "Besides, who was the one who bet on that horse race we went to…? I can't remember where we were… but who did that?"

"Nick... okay I did," Mia said, looking slightly guiltily at him before glancing over at Clarisse- she knew her grandmother didn't usually approve of betting- and a gambling Queen would take the cake!

However, she was surprised that Clarisse didn't seem to mind at all as she laughed at the guilty expression on Mia's face.

"You were very lucky," Mia continued after a pause. "I still can't believe that Grandma, on her first fishing trip, has caught the biggest fish so far!" Mia grinned proudly over at her grandmother, who blushed.

"Yes, I was proud of her too," Joe said as he put an arm around her. "She didn't need any help with the fish at all!"

"Now you're exaggerating," Clarisse said with a slightly shy smile in his direction. "If you hadn't been there, telling me what to do, I think I might have lost the fish…"

"You're being very modest, aren't you?" he asked teasingly, leaning over to smile affectionately into her eyes, more proud of her than he could say. "But that is one of your best qualities," he said quietly, so quietly that only she heard him.

"So… are you going to keep fishing?" Sheila asked with a smile, and Shades nodded firmly.

"You bet… I'm not going to give up until I've caught at least one fish…."

"Neither are we," Nicholas and Kip added quickly and Mia rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Oh brother… this could go on for the rest of the day!"

"Are you going to re-join me, Charlotte?" Shades looked nicely over at Charlotte, who paused to think, and then laughed.

"I think I might… after all, I might be the next one to catch a fish!" and she laughed harder at Scott's horrified expression.

"I think Clarisse has set a standard the rest of us women have to follow," Sheila said as she stood up and stretched her arms above her. "I think, now that I've seen Clarisse do it, I would like to catch my own fish as well!" Sebastian grinned up at his wife, before getting to his feet eagerly.

"Are you going to help me catch a fish?" Mia gave Nicholas a impish look, and he laughed as he helped her off the ground.

"I will… if you catch one, then maybe I will as well… It seems to me that the Renaldi women are good luck charms… and Mia's mine!" he added jokingly as Shades looked pensively at Mia for a moment. Lily was now eager to start fishing, and she practically dragged Kip back to his fishing spot, leaving Joseph and Clarisse the only ones sitting down.

"Did you want to catch another one?" Joe looked over at her affectionately, and she smiled.

"I don't think so… in fact, I might need to have a rest after what we've been doing all day… the sun is getting hot, and it's making me rather sleepy… But I don't mind if you want to keep fishing- you may catch three or four more!"

"No, I think I might have had enough for a while… although the competitive banter between Kip, Nick and Shades was very funny to listen to… Did you want to go back to camp for a while?"

"Yes please," she said softly as he slowly stood up, his knees slightly stiff, before helping her up. They walked towards the bank of the river to let the others know they were leaving.

"We might go back to camp for a while… it's getting rather hot out here," Joe explained as he picked up the bucket with the three fish in it, while Clarisse picked up the rods and net. Sebastian and Sheila nodded understandingly.

"We mightn't be that far behind… that is, after Sheila catches her fish," Sebastian amended with a grin, before Clarisse and Joe moved onto the others.

"Are you scared that I might actually overtake you in the number of fish I'm going to catch?" Shades asked with a smart smirk as they came to the end of the group.

"Absolutely… I look forward to seeing your five fish when you get back," Joe said with a jovial grin before taking Clarisse's free hand and walking back towards the track.

* * *

As soon as they arrived back at the campsite, Clarisse sat down in one of the camp chairs with a sigh of relief. Joseph laughed as he watched the relieved expression on her face, before going to put the fish in a cool spot on the campsite. On the way back, he retrieved two mugs of water, one of which Clarisse, her eyes closed, accepted gratefully.

"I take it you're glad to be sitting in an actual chair?" he kidded as he sat down next to her and looked over at her with a smile. Even though he loved her in whatever she wore, and she was extraordinary beautiful when she was dressed up, he thought that she was somehow lovelier when she was free of the makeup, tailored outfits and even the pearls that she used to wear when she was Queen. Since stepping down from the role, her style had relaxed greatly, and she was now more comfortable in simple dresses, or pants and a blouse… it was a rare occasion now when he saw her in a tailored outfit or formal dress…. Even without the tools that made her stunning on formal occasions, she was a natural beauty, and Joe much preferred her without all of that…

"Why are you staring at me like that?" she broke into his thoughts, and he suddenly realised that she was looking at him interestedly.

"I was just thinking that, even though you are absolutely gorgeous when you're dressed to the nines and dripping with jewels, I think I prefer you without all of that… the way you are now, and the way you've been since we got married."

"I've hardly, in all my years as Queen, ever been dripping in jewels," Clarisse laughed easily, sitting up and turning to look at him. "But thank you… I know you're severely biased in my favour, no matter what I do, but I appreciate that… You know, most of the clothes weren't that comfortable, and I really love the fact that I don't have to be like that anymore… But," she added with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "Surely you wouldn't have minded being married to a fashion plate, if I had been so inclined?"

"No," Joe admitted with a grin. "The perks of being seen with a beautiful woman on my arm would have been numerous… But, I don't mind how you look- I love you in whatever you wear… But I prefer you the way you are now," he said, brushing her cheek with his hand, and she held it close for a moment, smiling lovingly at him.

"So," he decided to change the subject. "Did you enjoy that fishing adventure?"

"I did, very much… I didn't expect to catch a fish, though… I thought that you would be the first to catch one, seeing that you're the expert …."

"Don't take any notice of Scott's bragging- he can be over the top, particularly when he's trying to impress Charlotte… But I do hope he catches one- he'll be unbearable to live with if he doesn't."

"You did get a permit to fish, didn't you?" she looked concernedly at him, and he laughed.

"That's one of the best things about having the Prime Minister camping with you… He was able to get it within an hour!"

Clarisse laughed along with him, before trying to stop a yawn that escaped anyway.

"I think I should have a rest for a while… I don't know why I'm tired like this…"

"You had a long trip yesterday, not to mention a late night, and then everything we did today- it's amazing that you're not crawling along the ground!"

Clarisse chuckled as she stood up and walked over to the tent, Joseph on her heels.

"The tent should be nice and cool… all the outside flaps have been pulled back, and the second flaps are kind of like mosquito nets," Joseph explained as he watched her crawl into the tent. She turned around once inside, and looked at him.

"I suppose you don't need to have a nap, do you?"

"Not really… but would you like me to sing you a lullaby?" he asked as he crawled into the tent and she laughed quietly as she lay down on the sleeping bag covered mattress. Joe tenderly removed her shoes for her, and massaged them for a moment.

"No, but thank you for the offer, as well as that…I just wish I wasn't so sleepy… I wanted to go swimming…"

"Don't worry, we'll go swimming later, when it's not so hot… just have a nice sleep," Joe said softly, stroking her face as she smiled sleepily up at him, her eyes already beginning to close.

"But what… are you going to do in…. the meantime?" she murmured.

"I want to finish that book you gave me for our anniversary, and I might be able to do while the others aren't here," he said, turning away to retrieve the book from his bag. By the time he turned back to look at her, Clarisse's breathing was deep and even, indicating that she was asleep.

"Sweet dreams, my darling" he whispered, gently kissing her on the forehead, before creeping out of the cool tent, zipping up the second set of flaps behind him.

* * *

It was just over an hour later when Joseph crept quietly into the tent, careful not to disturb Clarisse as he put his book back in his bag. He glanced over at her for a moment, smiling gently- she looked so peaceful asleep… he was almost halfway out of the tent again when he heard her say:

"You're very quiet, Joseph…" and he turned to see her holding out her hand for him. Changing direction, Joe re-entered the tent and sat down on the edge of the mattress, Clarisse moving over to make room for him, and took her hand in his as she smiled at him.

"I was hoping that I didn't wake you up when I brought my book back in," he said, waving towards the bag, and she laughed softly.

"I was awake… I just hadn't opened my eyes… but it's so lovely and cool in here!" she looked around her with a smile, before slowly beginning to sit up.

"I was hoping that, so I brought you another cup of water," he offered to her, and she took it with a grateful smile, suddenly realising that she was thirsty.

"Did you have a good nap?" he inquired as she finished the cool water, and swung her legs over the edge, and sat next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Yes I did… it didn't seem to be all that long, but it refreshed me… Incidentally, how long was I asleep?"

"About an hour," he said, before laughing at her slightly surprised expression. "I think you might have needed the rest but, trust me, we are not getting up early again tomorrow!"

"Thank you… I think I might appreciate the lie in tomorrow… Have the others come back from their fishing yet?"

"No, they're still down there, fighting it out. Charlotte and Sheila came to get water, and they were telling me the boys are being very competitive. The rest of them are thoroughly enjoying themselves, and not really caring whether they catch anything… but those three young men…"

"Boys will be boys," Clarisse said wisely as she looked around her for a moment. "Where are my shoes?"

"I took them off as soon as you lay down on the mattress… didn't you feel me massage your feet for you?" he said jokingly as he handed them to her.

"Oh…I did, and thank you for that… Did you want to go back fishing for a little while?"

"Not really," he said with a smile. "It's not quite so hot as before… but all that competitive banter down there was getting very depressing… You chose the right time to have your nap!"

"I hope you weren't too bored out there for an hour…"

"Like I said before, I finished that book you gave me, and I was very glad to finish it… I was dying to find out how it all finished."

"I'm glad you liked it," Clarisse smiled at him, before looking past him curiously. "Has it cooled off at all?"

"A little… I think it may rain a little later, so I might have fetch those tarpaulins from the car for later…why? What did you want to do?"

"I think I would like to go swimming… it's still sticky, and I feel sticky….You could take us to that little spot you said you knew before…"

"Your wish is my command, madam!" he said, standing up and giving her a very small bow.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, after changing into their bathing suits and putting the rest of their clothes back on, they emerged from the tent carrying their towels and other necessary equipment.

"Still no sign of anyone coming back," Clarisse looked in the direction of where the river was, and Joe laughed.

"We'll be lucky if we see the boys till tomorrow morning!"

"I'm sure the ladies will have something to say about that," Clarisse retorted with a slight smirk.

Joseph led the way through the forest, in the same direction as their walk that morning, but veered off to the left just before they reached the big rock. Clarisse was beginning to suspect that Joseph had been here more times than he had actually said as he continued to push branches and bushes out of the way, allowing her to slip forward, before continuing the journey… at least she hoped he knew where he was going, because she was thoroughly disorientated.

"Is this going to be another long trek through the wild?" Clarisse joked as Joseph turned back and took her hand in his. "Where on earth are you taking me?"

"We're going to be swimming in the river, but I thought you would like more privacy than having to swim with the others busy trying to catch fish," he explained as he guided her through one more clump of bushes, and they found themselves standing on the rocky shore of the river... still the same as down stream, but completely different… much more quiet, for starters, although she could hear the water splashing on rocks a little further on.

"There is a small waterfall a little further to the north," Joseph explained as he led her towards a large flat rock, situated only a few metres away from the river.

"Are you sure that it's safe to swim here?" she asked as she sat down on the warm rock, looking at the lake suspiciously.

"It's perfectly safe… I've swum here a few times, and nothing's happened to me," he joked as he sat down next to her, and she moved in closer to him.

"Something for which I am very grateful," she murmured as they looked out onto the relatively calm waters. "But it's so lovely and quiet here… I can't believe that it's still the same river… Maybe Scott should try up here to fish," she said thoughtfully, before laughing at the look on Joseph's face.

"It's not particularly deep, not unless you go out half way, but I've never really ventured out that far…" he looked at her for a moment as she stared out at the water for a moment, before starting to take off her shoes.

"Did we bring those special waterproof shoes?" she asked after she had taken off her shoes, and he waved them in the air. Although he knew he should be undressing, he couldn't help but watch as she stood up and slipped off her jeans, followed by her shirt, and he almost gasped aloud- she was wearing the same bathing suit that he had seen that day by the lake… and she hadn't changed a bit, with the still same fabulous figure….

"Joseph," he heard her say, and he looked up to see her gazing at him with an amused look. "I knew I shouldn't have brought this… it's exactly the same as last time- you can't seem to keep your eyes off me!" but she was more than flattered by his obvious admiration.

"Ah," Joseph said quickly, standing up and ridding himself of his trousers and shirt. "But now I'm allowed to… last time, I was just your bodyguard, but now I'm your husband… but that suit is absolutely stunning on you- it brings out the colour of your eyes…"

"Thank you," she blushed with a smile as they slipped on the shoes- they had both agreed that the river bed was probably lined with sharp rocks.

"But remember," she added as he looked up at her curiously. "You were never just my bodyguard- don't forget that!"

"Stop it, now you're making me blush!" Joseph joked, before holding out a hand to her. "Ready?"

"Ready," she said firmly.

She winced slightly as they walked slowly into the water, unused to the coolness of the river. "It's cold!"

"It should warm up a little once we've been here for a while… and the sun comes back out," Joe gazed up into the sky, where the sun had seemingly disappeared behind a bank of clouds. They continued walking out until they were almost shoulder deep in water, and Clarisse smiled boldly at Joseph.

"How good are you at swimming?"

"Pretty good… I was a swimming champ at school and college… why?"

"Because… I think we should have a race…" she said teasingly, before suddenly disappearing with a big splash of water, leaving Joe behind.

"You cheeky…" he began before he started swimming after her. He caught up to her easily, and soon passed her, grinning at her muttered threats. He looked back after a little while, and saw that she was still close on his heels, before stopping for a break.

"Do you concede defeat?" he teased after he swam back to her, and they trod water for a few moments, catching their breath.

"I give up… you are definitely better at swimming than I am!" Clarisse laughed, a little breathless.

"I wouldn't say that- you're in pretty good shape for…" he stopped short, suddenly realising what he was going to say, and she laughed at him.

"For… what, a great-grandmother to be, or a woman in her late middle years!" she teased, and he laughed. "Don't worry Joseph, I'm not at all insulted… I'll just make to beating you back to the shore!" before she disappeared again, and Joseph marvelled at her energy.

000000

"This is absolutely wonderful, Joseph. I'm having such a marvellous time," Clarisse said they sat on rocks in the shallow end of the river, and looking out at the water. "I can't believe I didn't do this before now! I'm so glad that I did come… were you worried that I hadn't come when the others got out of the car before me?" she looked over at him, and he smiled.

"A little… I was a little down when I thought you hadn't come… but," he added when she gasped softly, and turned to look at him. "Your surprise- and then everything else we've done together- has more than made up for it…"

He looked at her pensively for a moment, and then decided to ask the question that he had been thinking about for a little while.

"Would you have come out with Rupert and the boys, if you'd known how much fun it was?" he looked at her seriously, tucking a strand of her wet hair behind her ear. She looked away for a moment, deep in thought, before looking at him directly.

"I don't think so… I would have loved to have spent more time with the boys, but Rupert made it clear that it was strictly a boys only affair…. I'll admit, it hurt me when he said that to me … but I don't think Rupert would have been as patient with me as you are… they camped very roughly, apparently, and… I don't know… Phillipe wanted to me to come, but I never felt comfortable enough to come…"

"I'm sorry," Joseph said apologetically, realising how hard it would have been for her to be shut out of the limited time she had to spend with her sons…it would have been very lonely for her… She smiled over at him, the pain since dimmed with time.

"It doesn't matter now… all that matters is that I'm having the time of my life with you, Mia and our closest friends."

There was a silence for a while, before Joseph suddenly remembered that she was going to tell him about her conversation with Phillipe.

"Are you going to tell me about your conversation with Phillipe? I told you mine this morning," he said when she looked at him, slightly confused, and her brow lightened considerably when she realised what he meant.

"Do you really want to hear that?"

"Of course I do… we don't keep secrets from each other, do we?" he leaned over and nuzzled her neck, and she had to laugh happily. "And if we did, I know how to get them out of you, don't I?"

"Which I think is entirely unfair… you deliberately manipulate my weak spot…." Clarisse laughed as he leaned over to her.

"But you like it, don't you?" he teased in a low voice before kissing her.

"Alright, alright… I'll tell you…" Clarisse chuckled when they broke apart. "I think it was probably before he had his little chat with you- and, believe me, if I'd known what he was going to do, I would have stopped him right in his tracks…"

"Really?" Joe looked at her, an eyebrow raised in scepticism, and she melted.

"Fine, I probably wouldn't have… Anyway, we had just been going through more of what was what expected of him as King, and Phillipe decided we needed a break…"

* * *

"_I never realised how much was involved in becoming King… don't get me wrong, I knew there was a lot, but I'm surprised at how much a King actually does!" Phillipe said with a rueful grin as he leaned back in his chair, and ran a hand through his hair. "I thought being Prince was bad enough, but this…"_

"I think your father was often surprised at how much really goes into the this job," Clarisse said thoughtfully, folding up her glasses and leaning back in her chair with a fond smile at her son. "People think that it's all about tours, parades and meeting famous people, but being ruler of any country is a very hard, complicated and involved job!"

"My mind is just boggling at everything I have to do and be… now, more than ever, I'm impressed at what you've accomplished in your years as sovereign!"

"I've only been Queen for a year, Phillipe… I was usually the background music for your father- he did much more… I really haven't done that much…" but her tired sigh belied her statement. Phillipe grinned at her- she would never be able to admit that she had done quite a lot in her years as Consort, and then Queen… because of her modesty, he admired her more than his father, who willingly and loudly celebrated his achievements. 

"_But now," she looked at him proudly. "That's going to change… in three months, you will be King, and you will have your chance to leave your imprint on Genovia."_

_  
He smiled absently at her words- he was more concerned about her, and what she would be doing…_

"_What will you do once I become King?" he asked quietly, and she gave a small shrug._

"_I'll be around as long as you need me… but I'll be free to travel, garden, read… whatever I want to do, really," she smiled at him, but Phillipe looked concerned. _

_Although it seemed like a reprieve from the daily grind she was currently in, he knew that she would get lonely and bored within a few weeks, if not sooner. Her work had been her escape for many years, particularly once Rupert had lost interest in her, and Phillipe knew that she would miss it._

"_Would you like a cup of tea?" she asked, unaware of his thoughts, standing up and walking towards the waiting tray on a nearby table._

"_Yes, thank you," he said, following her to the couch, but still thinking about her future._

"_What about Joe?" he suddenly asked and Clarisse, who was pouring two cups of tea into her fine china, almost dropped the teapot in surprise. She recovered quickly, however, and looked up at him with a smile, hoping that he hadn't noticed her reaction. Just the mention of Joseph's name caused her heart to beat faster._

"_What do you mean, 'what about Joe'??" He will still be here, working as your Head of Security, I imagine. You'll be very lucky to have him- he's very loyal and dedicated…"_

"I think we may have a slight problem in that department…"

"Why?" she looked up again, having replaced the teapot back onto the tray. "Don't you want Joseph working for you?"

"I don't honestly think that he would work for me."

"Why on earth wouldn't he want to work for you? He's very fond of you, and I'm sure the two of you will have a good time watching all the basketball games on television," she chuckled softly as she handed him his cup and saucer, but Phillipe wasn't laughing. 

"_He may be very fond of me, as you say, but I still don't think he will be around for long after you step down."  
Clarisse, finally noting the serious tone in her son's voice, looked up with a startled look._

"_Has he been offered another job somewhere else?"_

_  
Phillipe laughed, knowing that his mother didn't understand what he was trying to say, so he decided to be plain. Little did he know that Clarisse did know what he was trying to say, and was hoping to avoid having to answer any questions… after years of hiding their blossoming romance, she was used to having to hide it._

"_Mama, the reason I don't think he'll work for me, despite our friendship, is because… there's only one person he really wants to guard, and that's… that's you."_

_He watched her for a moment, wanting to see her reaction, but she only smiled lightly at him._

"_That will all change… of course he'll feel sad when I finish up, after being my bodyguard for so many years…"_

"Mama," Phillipe interrupted her, putting down his tea cup and moving closer to her on the couch. "There is a lot more involved than that, and we both know it… you're in love with him, aren't you?"

He had been rather afraid of asking that question, just in case she got offended if it wasn't true, but the silence told him he was right, as she sipped her tea, her cheeks flushing a deep pink, and not looking at him. 

"_Mama?" he asked again, ever more gently. "It's true, isn't it?" _

_After another long moment, she slowly looked over at him, her eyes filled with tears, and nodded almost imperceptibly. She didn't want to admit it, but she also felt relief that she was confiding in Phillipe about it._

"_I know it must seem awful…" she began and Phillipe only smiled gently, putting his hand on hers._

"_Why should it be awful? We both know that Father wasn't that great a husband to you, and you deserve someone much better than him… and I think… actually, I know that Joe is that man."_

_  
"I can't, Phillipe… I can't," she spoke quickly, pulling her hand away from his, and trying to mask her obvious pain… but she had never been able to do that with Phillipe…_

"_Why not, Mama? You deserve so much love and happiness, and I know that Joe would give you both in abundance."_

"_Maybe he's not in love with me," she said flippantly, trying to not to reveal anything more, but Phillipe saw right through it._

"_Don't try and fob me off, Mother… I have seen the looks you two exchange, and it's abundantly clear that he's just as crazy about you as you are about him… I've suspected it for a long time, and now I know that it's true… and I'm happy for you…"_

"But, your father…"

"He was a good man, but he caused you so much unhappiness over the years, with all of his affairs… Yes, I knew about them," he added as she looked over at him, horrified. "But Joe... he makes you happier than anyone else ever has… and I will always be grateful to him for that…" 

"_I can't, Phillipe… I…I…I love him too much about him not to expose him to the nasty gossip that would inevitably crop up if we made our relationship official…" _

_Phillipe smiled- her willingness to protect Joseph told him more than he had realised but had hoped… she had really fallen in love with Joseph._

"_Mother, look at me." _

_Clarisse, who had been looking down at her hands for most of their conversation, reluctantly looked up into his handsome brown eyes. _

_"I don't care what other people will say about it… we both know that most of their opinions are worth zilch in the real world… Besides, none of them have ever seen how truly lonely your life has been, and how truly alive you seem to come when Joseph's around."_

_Clarisse smiled weakly at him- what he was saying was making a lot of sense, and she knew that, one day, Joseph would want her to fully commit to him, and she wanted to, now more than ever, but her duty to Genovia continually pounded against her head… _

"_You may have a duty to Genovia," he said softly, almost reading her mind. "But not for much longer… and it will be time to consider the duty to yourself… Would you marry him, if he asked you?"_

_There was a pause as Phillipe waited patiently, and Clarisse tried to think of a flip answer for him. He repeated his question and, before she knew it, the words came spilling forth:_

"_In a heartbeat," she said quickly, and looked away before Phillipe brought her back to face him. "But he might not want to marry at all… he's been single for all these years…"_

"_That's wonderful… I have been hoping this for so long… and I think you might be surprised to realise that he might want to marry…it's just that the only person he wanted was married to someone else…" _

_Clarisse stared at him for a moment literally dumbfounded at how much he knew about them, but relieved that he wasn't at all angry._

"_You never know," Phillipe added, draining his cup and setting it back onto the tray, before standing up, ready to work again. "July might be a nice time for a wedding…"_

* * *

"Yes, he said that and then went back to the desk, ready to work again, while I was sitting there, absolutely flabbergasted at what he had just said to me," Clarisse said with a light laugh as she thought back to that afternoon.

"I guess we had a matchmaker trying to get us together even then," Joe said with a smile, but touched at what Clarisse had told him.

"I bet he would have tried to get a July wedding…" she said, before trailing off as she remembered the dreadful accident only a month after that conversation. "So many years…" she almost whispered, and Joe moved over to put an arm around her.

"Yes, so many more years that we had to pretend… but, you have to admit, it was worth it in the end!"

"Yes, it was," Clarisse smiled happily over at him, before leaning over and kissing him. "Did you want to go for another race?"

"Another race… you do realise that it's been sprinkling rain since we've been sitting here?"

"Yes, but so what? Or are you scared?" she looked at him coyly, and he laughed.

"Alright, you're on!"


	10. Private Talks

_Author's Note: This has been a really good story to write, and thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing… I really like to see what people like in the chapters! I'm enjoying writing it so much that I don't want it to end, but it will very soon…_

_The Princess Diaries belongs to Meg Cabot and Disney_

They stayed at the river for a while longer, daring each other to swimming races and splashing each other playfully, before Joe noticed that the clouds were beginning to appear from all directions, blocking the sunlight.

"I think we might have to think about making a move back to camp," he said as they walked slowly out of the water.

"Why? Are you annoyed that I finally managed to beat you back to shore this time?" she teased as he handed her a towel, and she began drying herself off.

"No… but it looks like it might rain soon," he said, waving to the clouds overhead. Clarisse looked at them for a moment, and shrugged carelessly. She had been so amazed that something as simple as swimming had given her so much pleasure, that she didn't care.

"Are you afraid of getting rained on?" she ribbed gently as she stepped into her jeans. "I thought you didn't mind the rain…."

"I don't mind it… not when I'm chasing you through it," he teased as both of them remembered the time she had run out into the rain, fed up with parliament, and Joseph had had to follow her. "I just thought that you might not like it… but I just remembered…."

"Yes… well, that answers your query," she said with a broad smile. "But I imagine that it is getting rather late… What time is it, by the way?" she asked as he consulted his watch.

"Almost four… definitely time we were making a move" Joe declared as he finished buttoning up his shirt, and slipped his feet into his shoes, not bothering to put on socks.

"I wonder if the others have managed to catch fish," she said thoughtfully as she sat down on the rock to tie her shoes. "They would have been there at least four hours, wouldn't they?"

"About that long, if not a bit longer… but Scott can be pretty determined when he wants to be," Joe said as she stood up and looked at him expectantly.

"Can we do this again tomorrow?" she asked as he took her hand, and they began walking away. She looked back, a little regretfully, at their private swimming area, and Joe laughed.

"Of course we can, darling… you really are enjoying yourself, aren't you?"

"I am… I wanted to experience everything about camping, but I didn't imagine how much you and I would pack into the last two days- a long walk yesterday, truth or dare last night…"

"I won't forget that game," Joe interrupted with a soft chuckle.

"Going for a long hike this morning," she continued. "Fishing, and then swimming… this has been extraordinary… and I love that I've been able to experience all of this with you…"

"I've enjoyed doing it all with you too… I've especially enjoyed watching your reactions to everything… you have taken everything in your stride…."

"Haven't I always been like that?" Clarisse looked at him quizzically, and Joe laughed, realising that she usually did take everything in stride… "This is the holiday that, deep down, I've always wanted, but never had…."

"Really?" Joe looked at her, intrigued. "So, all of those times you spent your holidays at the beach house, or at the Winter Palace… you really didn't enjoy them?"

"I did, in a lot of ways, but like I've told you before, I prefer the adage 'less is more'… and this is, simply, more the way I wanted to spend my holidays… although maybe not outside all the time," she admitted with a smile.

"So, knowing that you've been around the world several times, what would have been your favourite holiday, and where did you go?" he asked curiously as they walked through the forest. Clarisse looked pensive for a moment, before smiling shyly over at him.

"Our honeymoon," she said simply, and Joe looked surprised.

"Our honeymoon!" he laughed. "That was four days away at the beach house, and we had to come back so you could sign your final papers, and prepare for Mia's coronation… I'd hardly call that a decent holiday, let alone a honeymoon! Are you sure you don't mean our week in Paris… that would be considered a honeymoon!"

"Be that as it may, the four days away were what I wanted… Paris was lovely, but the beach house was better… completely isolated from the rest of the world and the best part was- it was just you and I…" she smiled dreamily over at him before leaning over and kissing him.

"Do you remember how we actually got there?"

"Do I ever… I think you were in shock, as you tried to go to work…."

"Not that I particularly wanted to," Clarisse protested with a smile, but acknowledging that she had been in shock over her surprise marriage…

"Thankfully Mia and Charlotte took the initiative and told you to have a break… but, for a moment there, I thought you were going to get angry!"

"I was annoyed," Clarisse admitted with a slightly guilty smile, remembering what had happened that day. "But they didn't back down, did they?..."

* * *

_After their trip to the roof, Clarisse and Joe walked quietly back to their suite to find Clarisse's maids setting up breakfast for them._

"_Good morning Your Majesty. Good morning," Mr Bonnell," the two young women curtsied hastily to the couple, before walking hurriedly out the door, Joe looking after them in surprise._

"_Mr Bonnell… that's a first! This time yesterday, they were calling me Joe… now look at me!" he joked as he held Clarisse's chair out for her, before sitting opposite her. "But they've even got my coffee and breakfast right!"_

"_Well, as I've heard you say to Mia several times, maids know everything," Clarisse said with a playful smile, sipping her tea, and glancing at the papers sitting beside her place._

"_So, what's in the news today?" Joe asked as he buttered a piece of toast._

"_We're all over the front pages, as we expected, and the quotes seem to be favourable… oh, and there's a blurb about Viscount Mabrey being forcibly removed from the building," she said with a chuckle as she perused the front page. _

_"I suppose Charlotte will be fielding calls all day… I suppose I had better go and see what I can do to help her…"_

"_Now? Aren't you supposed to be enjoying your first breakfast with your new husband?" Joe pretended to look offended before grinning, and she sat back down in her chair with a smile._

"_I suppose business could wait an hour or so…"_

_0000_

_An hour and a half later, Clarisse and Joe walked into Clarisse's study to find that no one was there… not even Charlotte, who was usually waiting patiently for Clarisse to appear. Even more surprising was the fact that there were no papers spread out on her desk, waiting to be perused by the Queen. Clarisse usually liked to know what was going on in the country, and she usually glanced through newspapers before beginning work._

"_That's strange… why isn't Charlotte waiting for me here?" Clarisse said, almost to herself, as she sat down in her chair with a puzzled look, while Joseph sat down on a nearby couch. He hadn't needed to accompany Clarisse to her study, but he wanted to spend as much time as possible with her, even though they were now married._

"_Probably still recovering from the shocks of yesterday," he said with a laugh, as Clarisse smiled at his joke- there had been several surprises yesterday- before she pressed the button that would summon Charlotte from her nearby office. It was just seconds later when Charlotte, Mia following close behind, walked into the room, surprised to see her employer sitting patiently at her desk._

"_Your Majesty…Joe…I wasn't expecting you to be here this morning!" Charlotte walked towards the desk as Mia grinned and sat down next to Joe on the couch._

"_Why on earth wouldn't I be at work this morning?" Clarisse asked with a confused look. "It still is a normal working day, and I believe that there are still coronation plans to go over."_

_  
"Well…I…thought," Charlotte, normally not shy, stuttered, looking flustered, before shooting a look at Mia, who nodded and came to her rescue._

"_The reason we thought that you wouldn't be in is that you just got married yesterday, and we thought that you would like to spend some time with Joe… your husband," she added pointedly._

"_I realise that I got married yesterday…" Clarisse began patiently, before Mia cut her off._

"_I actually have made my first royal pre-coronation decision, and cleared your schedule completely for the next four days, so you and Joe can get away and have some time to yourselves."_

_Mia grinned proudly as Clarisse slowly stood up, stunned at what she had just heard- her own granddaughter, Queen in waiting and still a Princess had cleared her schedule… her schedule- the Queen of Genovia!_

_  
"I checked to see what was going on in the next few days, and I'm pretty sure that I can handle it… I've already discussed it with Sebastian and Charlotte, and both of them were happy to help," Mia explained as Clarisse still seemed incapable of speaking._

"_But there was one person you forgot to consult, didn't you?" Clarisse finally said, arching an eyebrow- never a good sign, Joseph thought at he watched the scene. _

_"__Who could you have forgotten to see…oh, the person whose schedule you just cleared!" she said with a tinge of sarcasm, but Mia appeared undaunted by her grandmother's indignation as she stood up and walked towards her._

"_Grandma, I didn't do this for me… I did this for you and Joseph. Until yesterday, I never realised how much you and Joe sacrificed in order to keep Genovia together, but I know this was the right thing to do. You've done so much for Genovia over the years, but you've had to deny yourself personal happiness… I know you're put out that I've done this, but this is all for you and Joe," she looked earnestly at Clarisse, who found that she hadn't the heart to be angry at Mia._

"_I'm ready to become Queen of Genovia, and I want you to be happy…there isn't that much on, and I can do most of what's left anyway… This time is for you and Joseph only… and I won't take no for an answer!"_

_Clarisse, unable to speak for a few moments, looked towards Joseph and Charlotte, both of whom were smiling. Just looking at Joseph made her realise something more important- it wasn't just her alone anymore… there was Joseph to consider… and, although she would never admit it, she didn't really want to be working on the morning after she got married… She wanted to spend time with him, alone, not having to worry about affairs of state or other nonsense… it was time for her to move on…_

"_Thank you," she finally said, swallowing her tears. "It might be nice…"_

"Nice?! That's an understatement- there's a car on standby, your maids are packing for both you and Joe, and you'll be on your way to the beach house for a couple of days!"

"Are you kicking us out of the palace?" Clarisse asked in amusement, touched that Mia had arranged this with her own initiative. 

"_Yes," Mia nodded firmly. "It's hardly a honeymoon if you're still in the palace… besides, after next week, you'll be able to go away on a decent holiday!"_

"Thank you Mia," Joe said, walking over to where they stood. "We both really appreciate this," he added as he wove his arm around Clarisse's waist.

Clarisse was still staring at her granddaughter in astonishment- what she had witnessed yesterday hadn't been a dream… Mia was really ready… 

"_Thank you, darling," she finally managed to say as she took her into her arms for a long embrace. "But we will be back in a few days!"_

"Of course you will… but for now, just enjoy your honeymoon!"

* * *

When they got back to camp, they were surprised to find the campsite deserted, no one had seemingly returned, but someone had set up the two tarps the women had brought to make a shelter, in case of rain.

"Very clever idea," Joe said as they stood and observed it for a moment, before a noise from behind them distracted them, and they turned to see Nicholas and Mia emerge from their tent.

"You're back!" all four of them in said in unison, before smiling.

"Where did you two go?" Mia inquired with a cheeky grin. "By the looks of the pair of you, you went swimming!"

"We did," Clarisse said lightly, before disappearing into the tent to change out of her bathing suit, while Joe stood and talked to the other two.

"How did the fishing go?" he asked, and Mia and Nicholas exchanged a grin.

"Pretty well… we both caught two each, but let two of them go…"

"We figured we would have enough to eat tonight," Mia said with a laugh.

"Kip and Lily are still hard at it, but they don't really care if they don't get any tonight- they've made a pack that they're going to get up very early tomorrow and go down… Sheila finally caught one, and Sebastian is as proud as punch!"

"Sheila caught one?" Clarisse, emerging from the tent, joined the conversation. "I'm glad… But what about…?"

"Charlotte doesn't care… but Scott… the air was thick with tension when we left…"

"We decided to come back early so I could have a rest," Mia said as she sat down in a nearby chair. "I now realise that you started a trend, Grandma! But, I feel much better after that… so much so, I want to go for a walk in the forest!"

"You're going to wear yourself out… I don't think I could walk another step!" Nick groaned as he collapsed into a chair beside her. Mia giggled, before patting his arm sympathetically.

"You don't have to come, baby… Joe, would you like to come for a short walk into the forest?"

"Yes, I wouldn't mind a stretch of the legs… I think we might need more firewood!"

"Don't wear yourselves out," Clarisse chided gently as Joe leaned down to where she was sitting, and kissed her. "You weren't as fortunate or as sensible as I was and had a nap!" she murmured teasingly into his face, and he chuckled before kissing her again.

"Won't be long," Mia said lightly after kissing Nick, and the pair of them disappeared into the forest….

There was a slightly awkward silence between Clarisse and Nick- Clarisse was well aware of the fact that Nicholas still felt intimidated around her- which hurt a little, but didn't surprise her- and she wanted, more than ever, for him not to feel like that. Thinking for a moment about something they could talk about, she suddenly hit on the idea of discussing Mia.

"How has Mia been feeling this afternoon?" she asked, turning her chair around so that she was facing him. He gave a slight start, having been wondering himself about what to talk about with Clarisse, before smiling ruefully at her and running a hand through his hair.

"She was feeling pretty well down at the river this afternoon… as you could tell this morning, she is suffering from some bad morning sickness but, apart from that, she's going really well… Mia would kill me if I said this, but I insisted she come back for a rest this afternoon- I didn't want her to overexert herself too much…."

"Very wise decision," Clarisse said calmly. "She can be rather energetic at the best of times, just like her father, but now… it's important that she gets all the rest she can!"

"I told her you would say that!" Nicholas said with a laugh. "She gave me a look, but then agreed that she needed the rest. But she is very energetic… that's one of the things I really love about her- her enthusiasm and energy…" he trailed off, abruptly remembering who he was talking to. Clarisse realised that he was discomforted, but she was glad that he had told her.

"I know you do… she's so spirited… but I know that you make her happy more than anything else," she said gently, as he looked up at her with a slightly shy look.

"Really?"

"Really?" Clarisse affirmed with a smile, before deciding to broach an awkward subject.

"Nicholas, I know that you're still very uncomfortable about what happened with your uncle last year, but I want you to know that I've long since forgiven and forgotten."

"I just feel a little guilty, still…" he mumbled, looking down into his lap for a moment.

"Nicholas, look at me for a moment." She waited until he was looking at her before continuing. "You redeemed yourself with me the moment you declined the throne at the church… in fact, you may have redeemed yourself earlier… I had a reliable source that told me you hadn't set Mia up with that camera at the lake, and that's when I realised you really did love her. You don't need to feel guilty anymore- you're just as much a part of the family as Joseph is."

She looked away for a moment, before looking back at the young man with a smile.

"So, now that you know I don't think you're a usurper for trying to steal Mia's throne, will you be able to relax around me a bit more… don't think I haven't noticed!" she teased as Nicholas grinned sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, it's just that with what happened with my uncle, and the fact that you're such a beloved figure in Genovia…"

"Obviously you and Joseph have been talking," she said with a chortle of laughter. "I honestly don't think I'm that in this country, but…" she sobered up. "People do see me as rather an intimidating figure, cold and distant, but I'm really not like that… you do understand that, don't you?"

"Of course… I've gotten to know you a lot better since our wedding, and the last few days have been an eye opener… you're much different to what other people see you as and, if this doesn't seem too much like flattery… they're missing out on so much…. Anyway," he changed the subject as Clarisse blinked back tears. "I won't feel guilty anymore, but you…"

"I can understand why you have been- it shows how much you care about Mia, and I appreciate that… my granddaughter's happiness means a great deal to me… I suppose, in a way, I'm trying to make up for the fact that she didn't know me for almost fifteen years of her life, and she barely knew her father…"

"I know… I barely remember my father… he died when I was six, my mother when I was seven, and my uncle raised me from then on or, rather, he sent me packing off to boarding school…."

"Your father was a fine man, and a wonderful member of parliament," Clarisse said softly. "I knew him rather well, and you take after him in so many respects…"

"Except when I was trying to steal the throne," he managed to make a joke, and Clarisse laughed.

"I can see that you're finally relaxing now," she teased as Nicholas grinned sheepishly, looking down at the ground for a moment, before looking at Clarisse again, his eyes sparkling with pleasure.

"Mia's already thinking of names for Joe… some of the ideas she has come up with… I'm not sure Joe would approve…."

"I can imagine what some of them would be… and I can't wait to see what you both come up with!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Joe and Mia were trekking almost silently through the forest, pausing only to pick up sticks to take back to camp.

"I think that might be enough for you to carry," Joe finally said when he saw that Mia had almost an armful of sticks in her arms. She looked at him mock petulantly.

"I'm much stronger than you seem to think I am," she said with a slight pout, and again Joe was struck by how much she was like her grandmother… even down to the facial expressions she used.

"I'm sure you're a strong as a horse, Your Majesty," he teased, and her eyes flashed mock angrily before she smiled. "But your grandmother would literally tear strips off me if I let her granddaughter, who is also expecting, carry heavy blocks of wood back! Besides, I don't think it would be a great idea for you to take any more!"

"It's only an armful of sticks… I can carry more than that…!" she protested, before another thought struck her. "Yes, I can see Grandma really tearing strips off you, Joe," she said teasingly as she put her pile of sticks down on the ground, and sat on a nearby rock. "Just one look at you, and any anger she has just disappears… she's literally putty in your hands!"

"That's not exactly true," Joe contradicted her as he joined her on the rock. "I imagine you can still remember the argument we had three months after we got married?"

"Do I ever," Mia rolled her eyes in horror at the memory. "I thought we might have had to release a statement saying that it was only argument, and you weren't actually getting a divorce!... But, you do realise that you haven't had a serious argument since then?"

"We still have our little squabbles, as most married couples usually do (even you and Nicholas will have them!), but no, we haven't had that many arguments…."

"Probably did all your fighting before you got married, huh?"

"Yes… we have had some fun ones over the years," Joe chuckled at the mere memory of some of their arguments. "Your grandmother usually doesn't give in without a fight!"

"That's true… but you're just as bad as her!" Mia said with a grin, and Joseph laughed along with her.

"If you weren't so charming, like your grandmother, I'd tell you off for being cheeky!" he managed to say and Mia only laughed harder.

"I guess we're hoping that trait will emerge in the next generation, will we?" she asked, looking at him with a smile, and he nodded.

"The only thing I hope is that he or she will not have the ability (or inclination) to run off before important events… your grandmother used to rile me up doing that, your father did the same thing (although not quite as often), and you have showed the same inclination…"

"I have only done it once… it was that time in San Francisco, and I think I was justified in doing it!"

"That was the particular time I had in mind," Joe said with a teasing smile. "What a nightmare that could have turned out to be…."

* * *

_Joe had had a strange feeling about the Princess, on the afternoon of the ball, and he hadn't been sure about why…. It had all started when Clarisse had informed him that Helen would be bringing Mia to the ball._

"_I think it's a lovely idea, Helen bringing Mia to the ball… it will be the first ball Mia's ever attended," Clarisse said with a fond smile, and Joe had smiled along with her. When Clarisse had disappeared upstairs to get ready, however, Joseph was more than a little puzzled at the feeling he was experiencing… He couldn't describe it, not even to his deputy security guard, or why he was feeling like that, but he just had the inkling that the Princess was going to do something unexpected…_

_His fears were confirmed when Helen had arrived without Mia, informing Charlotte that Mia was waiting for Joe to pick her up. He suddenly realised, after Charlotte told him that, what the young Princess was going to do._

"_She's going to run," he said quietly, as Charlotte looked horrified, before thinking hard. "Charlotte, stay close to Clarisse…and don't tell her anything at all… I'm going to go out and find her."_

_  
"In this weather?" Charlotte looked out the window at the rain pouring down and he nodded grimly._

"_In the rain."_

_00000_

He knew, according to what Clarisse had told him, that Mia was planning on renouncing her title but after arriving at her house and finding that she had left the house with nothing, he realised that her plucky spirit wouldn't give in… He suddenly knew that, tonight, Genovia would have a new Princess. 

"_Can't you drive any faster?" Joe snapped at the hired driver who was driving cautiously through the water slick streets of San Francisco. He was more than anxious to find the Princess and deliver her safely to the consulate before Clarisse knew what had happened._

"_I'm sorry, sir, but the streets can be quite slippery after the rain we've just had… are you sure we shouldn't go back to the consulate, and inform Her Majesty about what has happened?"_

"No, we're not going to do that…" Joe paused for a moment, trying to think where the girl would go, before realising that she was probably on her way to the consulate. "What's the fastest way back to the consulate?"

"Up the hill we're just going up now… but you can't seriously…" 

_Joe wasn't listening- he had just spotted a familiar blue Mustang, top down, parked on the side of the road. However, he couldn't see the Princess sitting in it…_

"_Blow on the horn," he instructed the driver as the limo pulled alongside the car, and Joseph was almost beside himself when the Princess, who had seemed to be lying down in the car, sat up and looked at him in surprise._

"_You wouldn't be happening to run away, would you?" he asked, getting out of the car as she hurried out of the car, and towards him._

"_No… I'm on my way to the ball," she said with a slightly shy smile, before sliding into the front seat ahead of him…_

"_I'm sorry, Joe… I just got a little scared for a moment," she said as the car drove smoothly down the street, only a few kilometres away from the consulate. "But I got some courage from the most unexpected place…"_

"Really- from where?"

"My father wrote me a letter- I found it in my diary…"

"Really?" Joe, pretending not to know what she was talking about, looked at her interestedly, and she smiled. 

"_Yes, and he gave me the courage to go on… I know I can do this… I just needed to believe in myself…"_

_  
Joe squeezed her hand tightly, before leaning over to whisper in her ear_

"_You're not alone… there are several other people who believe that you can do this."_

* * *

"What do you think Grandma would have done if she'd had to make that announcement herself?" Mia grinned at him, and he looked thoughtful.

"I know she probably would have skinned me alive when she saw me next- especially about not turning up to the ball!"

"She had obviously accepted your decision, and done it herself…. But I don't think she seriously had any doubts about you not showing up… or fulfilling your destiny."

"Did you tell her about what had happened when I wasn't there on time?"

"Yes, afterwards… she was rather shocked, but I think all that really mattered was that you were there, even if you had turned down the title. To her, you are her granddaughter before anything else…"

"I'm glad I found that letter from Dad… my life may have been very different from what it is now," she said, waving around at the forest, but Joe also knew she was including the palace too. "But it might not have been quite so interesting!"

"Everything has happened as it's meant to be," Joe said wisely, before they sat there for a couple of minutes, just enjoying the peaceful silence around them.

"So, Joe… are you ready to become a great-grandpa?" Mia turned to him with an impish smile, and he smiled in return.

"It may take me a little while to get used to that…. It's an honour that you consider me a member of your family."  
"Joe, when you married my grandmother, you became an official member of the royal family… but, to me, you've been part of the family since I first met you in San Francisco, six years ago."

"I never thought that I would have a family of my own… and I did accept it- my work was more important…"

"That, and my grandmother," she added slyly, and Joe only threw a leaf at her.

"I didn't think you would actually think that I would be a great…."

"Joe," Mia interrupted him, turning to look at him. "I barely knew my father, and I never knew my grandfather… You have been the main male influence (and role model) in my life for the past six years, and I think it's silly that after all of that, you don't consider yourself a member of the family…. I don't think Grandma would have got through as much as she has over the years if you hadn't been there… and you've always been there for me, trusting and believing in me… That's what family members do for one another, and you've gone above and beyond the call of duty!"

"You can be quite convincing when you want to be, can't you?" he looked at her with a warm smile, and she cocked her head to the side with a chuckle.

"I've learnt from the best… hopefully the baby gets that trait as well!"

"Just wait until they try that on you!" Joe said as they stood up again, and Mia impulsively gave him a hug.

"The bottom line is… you've made my grandmother so happy, and that's all that matters to me!"


	11. Camping Memories

_Author's Note: almost finished, but it has been great fun! Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed! By the way, should there be a sequel? Or maybe an extra chapter... I'm thinking about it… and I have some ideas, but what do you think?_

_Also, the game that Clarisse and Joe play... it's what Nicholas and Mia play in PD2, I just couldn't describe it properly!_

_The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me._

Nicholas and Clarisse were still talking when Joe and Mia emerged from the forest, but they stopped to turn and smile at them as Mia and Joe put their sticks down near the trees.

"You must have got quite a load," Clarisse joked as Joseph sat down next to her, leaning over to kiss him affectionately on the cheek. "Nicholas and I were wondering where you two had disappeared to!"

"We thought that you might have got lost in there," Nicholas added as Mia poured herself a cup of tea from the fire that Nicholas had re-started, and sat down next to him with a smile.

"Not with Joe… he knows this place like the back of his hand, according to Sebastian!" Mia beamed cheekily over at Joe, who only laughed but looked modest.

"I don't know it that well… although, we haven't gotten lost in the past two days, have we darling?" he turned to his wife with a smile, and she nodded with a laugh as he reached over and took her hand in his.

"No we didn't… in fact, I would have been very surprised if you had happened to get lost this afternoon… you were always such a good navigator!"

"So, what were you two talking about here as you lazed around in chairs, while we were out finding wood?" Joe inquired, and was both delighted and surprised to Clarisse exchange a warm look with Nicholas. He had suspected that Clarisse would try and make him feel more comfortable around her and, by the looks of it, she had succeeded admirably.

"Should we tell them what we were talking about, Nicholas?" she said, shooting a teasing look at Joseph, as Nicholas pretended to think.

"Mmmm… I think we might let them in, particularly as they are both important parts of it…" Nicholas returned with a cheeky grin at both Mia and Joseph, who looked at each other in surprise. "Yes, we might as well tell them!"

"We were actually compiling a list for Mia… a list of names that Joseph could be known by when he becomes a great-grandparent!"

Clarisse said before dissolving into laugher at Joseph's look. "We came up with some interesting ones, didn't we Nicholas?"

"Yes… I think I liked 'Poppy Joe'….

"I still think my favourite is Gramps… what do you think, dear?" she looked over at him teasingly, and he couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Is this what the next six months are going to all about- picking a name out for me? I thought it was more important to have a name for the child!"

"Oh, it is… but we also have to know what to call you," Mia said with a deep laugh, and the four of them laughed happily together.

They were just calming down when they heard voices coming from behind them, and they turned to see Sheila and Sebastian, followed by Charlotte and Scott, who were a fair way back, walking towards them.

"How did you go?" Clarisse called easily as the Motezes dumped their fishing gear outside their tent, but came forward with a bucket.

"We caught three- Sebastian caught two, and I caught one, but we threw one back… I don't think we'll need anymore fish for tonight!" Sheila said with a tired smile, as she sat down heavily into the chair beside Nicholas.

"But Sheila did brilliantly… she, just as Clarisse did, caught it all on her own," Sebastian said proudly, rubbing her shoulder as he passed, and she beamed up at him.

"Where are Lily and Kip?" Mia peered past them, back to where Charlotte and Scott were making their way slowly back, but there was no sign of them.

"Well," Sebastian began with a laugh, sitting down next to Joe. "There was a bit of a good natured scuffle down there, and Lily fell into the water…."

"Is she alright?" Mia asked anxiously, and Sebastian nodded vigorously.

"Yes, she's fine… she thought that Kip had knocked her in on purpose (which he hadn't), so when he went to help her out… down he went!"

"What are they doing now?"

"They decided to quit fishing for the day, and they're still there… swimming in their clothes!" Sebastian finally collapsed into laughter, and the others couldn't help but join in.

"What about the two slow coaches over there?" Nicholas pointed in the direction of Charlotte and Shades. "Please don't tell me that Scott didn't catch anything, and he's going to be sulking the rest of the night… I hope he did catch something!"

"Just wait and see," Sheila said mysteriously, and neither she nor Sebastian said another word about it as they waited for them to get there.

When they finally came into hearing, Joseph could hear Scott calling out, triumphantly:

"I beat your record, Joseph Bonnell… I caught five fish today!"

"Really?" Joseph stood up and shouted back as Scott nodded and waved the bucket. When they finally arrived in the campsite, the victorious expression on his face told everyone that he had, indeed, caught more fish than anyone else.

"Did you bring all of them back with you?" Joe asked in stupefaction, not being able to see into the bucket, but Scott shook his head.

"No, Charlie convinced me that it wouldn't be right… besides, apparently we have enough fish for tonight… but, believe me, I caught them almost all at the same time… I think Lily and Kip stirred the waters up for me!"

"Thank goodness that's over and done with for today," Charlotte muttered as she collapsed into the chair Joseph had vacated, "If I had had to stand on the shore for one more hour…."

"But did you catch one too?"

"Yes, but I threw it back… I felt bad that I had caught it, and Scott thought that I was silly for doing that but, as I told him, we've got more than enough for tonight… But he was almost like a kid when he caught his first one," Charlotte looked exhausted, but smiled fondly over at Shades, who was discussing the fish with the other men.

"Will you be doing it again tomorrow?"

"Scott can get up as early as he wants, but I'm sleeping in… But," Charlotte added with a giggle. "It was such a good afternoon down there… eventually. So," she turned to look at Clarisse interestedly. "What did you and Joe do this afternoon?"

"Well, I had a rest for a while, and we then went swimming… it was so much fun!"

Charlotte looked at her with a smile- she looked windblown and tired, but she could also tell that she was much more relaxed, and enjoying every moment camping.

"So… who wants fish for dinner tonight?" Nicholas broke away from the others, and turned to look at the women. "We've got so much that, really, you don't have an alternative!"

"Oh, so you're saying that it's fish or nothing?" Mia looked archly at him, and he nodded seriously.

"Yes, that's all there is…" before he grinned at her.

"Fine with me… and I'm sure the rest of us agree… just don't forget to include Kip and Lily in that!" Mia added, before she was interrupted as Lily and Kip, soaking wet and laughing hysterically, crashed their way into the campsite.

"Well, well, well… you look like you had fun!"

"We did… we didn't catch any fish… but the water was great…. We're actually thinking about going for a midnight swim tonight!"

"A midnight swim… hmmm," Mia looked thoughtful as Lily and Kip disappeared into separate tents to get changed.

* * *

"I don't think I could eat another bite!" Mia groaned as she carefully put her plate down ext to her chair, and leant back in her chair with a happy sigh. "But that was great… here's to the talented chefs who cooked it!"

"Here, here!" echoed from around the campfire, and both Nicholas and Joe pretended to blush and look embarrassed.

"You're being awfully generous with your compliments today, Mia," Joe said teasingly when their eyes met.

"Yes… I have to agree with you there, Joe… what do you want, my darling wife?" Nick pretended to look at her seriously for a moment, before they both dissolved into giggles.

"But we're also forgetting the clever and talented people who caught these fish," Scott said from his spot next to Kip. "We were all very lucky to catch all these fish today… especially those who stayed at the river, and didn't give up…"

"You're fishing for a compliment, aren't you Scott?" Kip mocked him, and Scott couldn't help but smile.

"Of course…after all, I was the one…."

"Who caught the most fish out of everyone," the rest of the group chorused, having heard it at least three times since he had come back.

"I told you it was a lose lose situation- he would have sulked if he hadn't caught anything, but he's unbearable now that he has caught them," Clarisse heard Nicholas mutter to Sebastian, who only nodded and chuckled.

"You were fantastically dedicated, Scott," Mia began with a wide grin. "But I personally think that the best fisherman… rather, fisherperson… today would have had to have been Grandma… never caught a fish before, and she did it practically as soon as she threw her line into the water!" Mia said as she grinned over at Clarisse.

"Here's to Grandma!" she raised her mug in a salute, followed by the others.

"To Clarisse!" they all echoed while Clarisse coloured and looked down into her mug of tea, almost jumping out of her skin when Joseph gently kissed her on the cheek.

"I'm not the only one who caught fish… everyone else did too!" Clarisse protested after recovering, and looked around the fire at the others.

"I think you've embarrassed your grandmother," Joseph said with a smile, squeezing her hand gently, and Mia only chuckled.

"Well, since you've all insisted on toasting me, I feel that I must do something to earn it… Scott and Kip, you can have the night off from washing up…. I'll do it!" Clarisse said decisively as she got to her feet, and began collecting plates. She paused in front of Joseph, and laughed at his open mouth.

"Don't worry, darling, I have washed up before, remember?"

"I'll give you a hand," Mia said quickly, jumping to her feet and collecting plates from her side of the fire. "I'll wash up!"

"Fine with me," Clarisse said tranquilly, following her to the washing up container. She couldn't help but smile secretly to herself when she heard Sebastian whisper loudly

"She's a woman of many talents!"

"Yes, she is… she never ceases to amaze me," Joe replied, still watching Clarisse.

000000

Less than ten minutes later, and 'with a lot less complaining' Sebastian said with a smile, the washing up was all over and done with, and everyone was sitting contentedly in their chairs, nursing second cups of tea.

"So, what are we doing tonight?" Scott asked, despite having been standing on the shore of the river for close to six hours, sounding enthusiastic and energetic.

"You might be able to do what you feel like, but the rest of us are rather tired… I know I am," Nicholas said with a smile, his hand gently resting on Mia's knee. "I don't think I'm in the mood for 'Truth or Dare' like last night…."

"I know!" Mia, who had seemed to be deep in thought, sat up with a smile. "Let's tell one of our favourite camping stories…" There was a murmur of approval from the rest of the group, before Mia turned to Clarisse with a smile.

"Although you may have to miss out, Grandma, as you've never been camping before!"

Clarisse, however, decided to protest.

"Just because I didn't go camping doesn't mean I don't have a few stories I could tell!"

"Fine… would you like to go first" Mia asked, a mischievous look on her face.

"No," Clarisse said with a smile. "I need some time to think… Besides, since you're so obviously eager to begin, I don't think I could deny you the pleasure of going first!"

"Fine," Mia pretended to throw Clarisse a disgusted look, before looking around the camp for a moment, and took a deep breath in.

"Well, as you all know very well, my mother and I lived almost in the middle of San Francisco, and didn't have that many opportunities to go camping… which were dramatically reduced once I had my own set of bodyguards," she said, throwing a look at Clarisse.

"But when I was younger, Mom told me that my father had liked to go camping a lot, so when I was about nine, we decided we'd give it a go for a couple of days…

We spent a few days planning and packing, and we went to this great camping spot outside San Francisco… not quite so isolated as this, but still nice enough. We put our tent up and everything, and were looking forward to having our campfire and singing camp songs while toasting marshmallows… but it began to rain! I remember we sat in our tent that night, and I was hoping that it would stop by the next day… but it actually got heavier, so Mom decided not to stay… but, when we got back, she sent up a tent in her studio, and we had an indoor camp! It was great… except that we couldn't have an actual fire!"

"What a pity," Clarisse said sympathetically. "I'm sure your father would have taken you camping when you finally met… although, at eighteen…"

"I don't think I would have minded, Grandma… But, I will admit that this is much better than I imagined… But, we did go camping several time at school, didn't we Lily, and it was fun, wasn't it?" she looked over at Lily for confirmation, who only rolled her eyes.

"Yes, it was fun, except when I managed to catch chicken pox on our fourth grade trip… we went overnight somewhere, and by dinner time I was bedridden… My parents had to come and get me… and I then passed it on to Mia…"

"Well, we both got a week or so off school, so that made up for it!" Mia smiled cheerily, before turning to her husband. "What about you, Nick? I'm sure you wouldn't have had air mattresses when you went camping as a boy?"

000

"Air mattresses?" Shades head snapped up. "Who brought air mattresses with them here?"

"Alright, we didn't," Nicholas said quickly, preventing Scott from continuing. "My father, as you all know, died when I was six, and my uncle raised me. He wasn't the kind of man to go camping- he loved his mansion and home comforts too much- but my aunt and I, together, managed to convince him that we should go for my birthday. It took us two weeks to convince him, and we left on the day before my birthday…But," Nicholas began laughing at the memory.

"It was a complete disaster- he didn't catch any fish, despite his theories that he was a master (the three of us, incidentally, caught four between us!), he fell into the water several times while he was trying to catch one, and he fell over several times when we went hiking…In the end, he spent the rest of the holiday huddled around the fire while we were hiking…. Of course, when we got back, he spent the rest of the day in the tub…and we never went camping again!"

"I've actually never been camping before now," Charlotte began hesitantly, blushing at Scott's shocked gasp.

"I wanted to, but… things never seemed to work out as planned… But, this has been really good fun- even standing patiently on the shore of the lake while my boyfriend spent six hours trying to catch fish!"

000

"Love you too, Charlotte," came from the other side of the fire, but when Charlotte looked at him, he was grinning at her.

"My camping experiences were numerous… and, on most of the occasions, I managed to catch more fish than anyone else… But I think my most memorable story was the night we (my brother and I) snuck up on my parent's tent, and scared the living daylights out of them!"

"I can definitely imagine you doing that, Scott," Joe said dryly, before Scott continued with his story.

"Anyway, my dad told us some really scary stories during our other camping trips, but he didn't tell one that first night, so my brother and I thought we'd make up our own scary story, and scare my folks… and yes, we planned to do it when they were asleep! Anyway, we snuck up on either side of the tent, and yelled out… what, I don't know, but suddenly we saw these two figures sit upright in bed, and Dad yelled at us!"

"Did you two get into trouble?" Sheila, although looking slightly horrified, was leaning forward in her chair with interest.

"Big trouble… we were grounded when we got home- which was the next day, as Dad decided to cut our camp short… but just the sight of them sitting upright in their tent was worth all the trouble…" Shades trailed off, chuckling.

000

Kip, with a sheepish grin, told them about the time he had gone camping with the rest of the guards, and they had gone for a 'midnight swim', only to come out of the water and find their clothes were all gone."

"I don't know what happened to them," Kip finished with a rueful smile. "But it sure was a cold trip back to our tents!"

000

"Well, Sebastian and I went camping overnight when we were on our honeymoon," Sheila said with a fond smile and sigh. "I was perfectly happy staying in the hotel, but Sebastian insisted that we spend one night outside."

"I wanted you to experience camping… until we got married, you had never been camping!" Sebastian protested in defence.

"Fine… anyway, the weather seemed perfect, and there wasn't any forecast rain or storms for when we went, so I agreed to it… Well, almost the entire experience proved to be a disaster!"

"What happened?" Mia asked curiously.

"Let's see… Sebastian, in his eagerness to be off, forgot to pack a very tent pole, so we had to improvise, and then had to keep an eye on the tent, which did collapse on us once or twice…"

"I will admit that was my fault… I didn't check all the equipment was there before we left," Sebastian intercepted with a sheepish grin.

"Then… we got all that sorted out, then we realised we hadn't packed the air mattress, and had only one sleeping bag between us… that wasn't that bad- it was big enough for two… but the ground- it was very uncomfortable!"

"We decided to go fishing after that, and we actually caught two fish for dinner that night… we would have caught more, but my fishing net was old, and once we scooped the fish in from the water, the net broke and they slid back into the water!"

Sebastian and Sheila were grinning at each other as they remembered their trip, whilst everyone else was in stitches- how many things could possibly go wrong on an overnight camping trip?

"Everything went fairly smoothly after that- we had a good meal, the fire was burning well, and we were just about to settle down for the night when… guess what happened?"

"It started raining," Charlotte managed to gasp, and Sheila nodded with a grin.

"Yes, only worse… it was an electrical storm, and one of the worst we had ever seen in Genovia…."

"We thought we were going to be alright, as the tent seemed to be waterproof… but, then the tent leaked!" Sebastian looked amused at the memory.

"All over the place," Sheila confirmed. "We couldn't sleep there, obviously, so we grabbed all our belongings, and raced over to the car… We spent the night in the car, and when we woke up, we found that the tent had completely collapsed with water."

"Couldn't use it again," Sebastian said simply.

"Wouldn't that trip have been grounds for divorce?" Mia asked, clutching her side, as she slowly calmed down again.

"It could have been," Sheila began slowly, before turning and giving her husband a loving look. "But all that really mattered was that we were together…."

"And, it didn't deter her from camping again!" Sebastian looked proud of himself.

000

"What about you, Joe… did anything disastrous as that happen to you?" Kip asked, and Joe looked thoughtful, before laughing.

"No, nothing like that… but I did get injured once... My brother BJ and I loved throwing rocks at each other- it was a game for us to find different ways to throw rocks at each other, but not hit each other… My father thought we were crazy, and told us off several times, saying 'One of these days, one of you is going to get hurt!"… I can still hear him saying that, but we really didn't take any notice of him.

It was a pretty warm day, and my parents were cleaning up from breakfast before we went fishing, and BJ and I, sick of waiting, thought it might be fun to up the rock throwing stakes… Anyway, I thought I won the game- and I still think I do- but BJ threw another rock which, unfortunately, hit me hard on the chin… We then had to cut our trip short so I could get stitches!"  
"How did your father react?" Lily asked curiously, and Joe grinned.

"Hit the roof… now, looking back on it, I could see why he was so angry, but at the time…"

"But you didn't tell everyone what you did for revenge," Clarisse teasingly murmured in his ear, and he chuckled.

"I did get my revenge on BJ… he was and is a keen fisherman, and he had set up his rod on the rocks to see if he could catch anything… I, being the charming boy I was, kicked away the rocks that were holding it there, and it floated away…."

He laughed hard at the mere thought of the rod floating down the river, and everyone laughed along with him.

"Here's a lesson we can take heed of- don't throw anything at Joseph unless you want to lose your fishing rod!" Shades quipped easily, setting everyone off again.

There was a slight pause as everyone settled down again, and Mia turned curiously to Clarisse.

"So, have you thought of that perfect story yet?" she teased with a smile, and Clarisse nodded. It wasn't exactly a camping story, but it was still one of her favourite memories of Phillipe…

"It's not about me, exactly, but it's about your father…" she began in a quiet voice, and everyone leaned forward in their chairs with interest……

* * *

_Clarisse was walking through the palace, heading towards her suite, when she heard voices in the hallway below, and she peered over the railing to see seven-year-old Phillipe running into the hallway. He looked up and began waving frantically when he saw his mother._

"_Mama! Mama!" he called excitedly and Clarisse couldn't help but beam as she swiftly descended the stairs, and Phillipe threw himself into her arms for a hug._

"_Hello darling… did you have a good time?" she asked as she knelt down onto the floor, not caring about her silk dress, and smiling happily into his innocent brown eyes. He, along with his older brother and father, had been away on a three day camping trip, and Clarisse was very pleased to see them again… it had been unusually quiet in the palace since they had been gone._

"_I had the BEST time! We went fishing lots, and I caught three by myself…"_

"With a little help from his bodyguard," came a voice from above them, and Clarisse looked up to see Rupert standing there with a warm smile. "Hello dear."

"Hello, Rupert… did you have a good time?" she asked as she quickly stood up, and he leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.

"Pretty good… except this little monster kept me awake most of the night," he growled good- naturedly down at his son, ruffling his hair, as Phillipe beamed happily up at his parents. Clarisse looked around for a moment, not seeing her eldest son. 

"_Where's Pierre?"_

"_He went upstairs through that secret tunnel of his," Rupert said with a rueful grin, and Clarisse laughed._

"_Sounds like Pierre," she said easily, before she was distracted by Phillipe pulling on her hand again._

"_I'll see you later," Rupert said, kissing her cheek again before heading towards the stairs. She looked after him for a moment before bending down to talk to her son again._

"_What else happened on your camping trip?"_

_  
"I've got a surprise for you… can we go to the lake, right now?" he looked at her earnestly, and Clarisse was mildly surprised. _

"_I would have thought you had had enough of the great outdoors…" she began teasingly, and Phillipe only shook his head._

"_No way… but can we?" he looked at her beseechingly, and she could only give in with a smile._

"_I suppose we can… I'd better go and let Joseph know we'll be going…"_

"No need to worry, Your Majesty… I'm right here," came a familiar voice from behind her, and both Phillipe and Clarisse turned to see Joseph standing there. "Welcome back, Your Highness…I see you didn't get eaten by wild bears!"

"Of course not, Joe…it's not the right season for them!" Phillipe looked at him seriously for a moment, before laughing, and racing over to give him a fond hug around the knees.

Clarisse watched the moment with a smile- Phillipe had always been fond of Joseph… almost since he started working there about 18 months previously… 

"_I've just got to go and get my towel… wait here for me!" he suddenly shouted, and raced towards the stairs as Clarisse and Joseph watched with a smile._

"_He doesn't seem to be that tired from the trip," Joseph said quietly._

"_No… he always seems to have more energy than the rest of us put together!"_

_000000_

_Phillipe was almost bursting at the seams with excitement as they made their way down to the lake, Joseph and Phillipe's bodyguard trailing behind at a discreet distance._

"_Come on, Mama!" Phillipe, who had run ahead of them, called impatiently at the edge of the forest._

"_We're coming, Phillipe… don't run too far ahead," Clarisse called as he disappeared into the cool darkness of the trees._

_They finally made it down to the lake, and Clarisse was surprised to see Phillipe strip off down to his swimming shorts, and splash into the water with a giggle._

"_Phillipe, be careful," she began, feeling slightly nervous, before stopping short as Phillipe began moving further out onto the lake, doing freestyle… _

_She watched as he turned around, and then swam back to the edge of the lake… She suddenly realised what she was seeing… he was swimming! He had only swum a couple of metres, but she couldn't have been more proud of him even if he had swum the entire length of the lake._

"_Well?" Phillipe beamed expectantly up at her, and all she could do, tears swimming in her eyes, was pull him into her arms for a hug, not at all caring that he was wet…_

"_You wonderful, clever boy, you were swimming… I'm so proud of you!" Clarisse choked out as tears began to stream down her face, and he smiled proudly up at her._

"_I spent most of the time in the river with Kent," he waved his hand to the bodyguard standing next to Joseph. "I wanted to surprise you…"_

_  
"And you certainly did, my darling… it was a wonderful surprise!" she said, wiping her eyes as he went splashing back into the water again, before turning to look at her again._

"_One day, I'm going to swim all the way over to the other side, and back!" he said with a determined smile, and Clarisse had no doubt that he would._

* * *

"And he did- when he was fourteen," Clarisse concluded as she wiped the tear that had managed to slip down her face. It was still one of her most precious memories of her son…

When she looked up at Mia, she was surprised to see traces of tears on her cheeks.

"What a wonderful story, Grandma," Mia said quickly, wiping her face. "And you saw it too, Joe?"

"Yes… I was very proud of him that day," Joe said with a quiet smile as he squeezed Clarisse's hand gently. "We were down at the river most of the afternoon, weren't we?"

"Oh yes," Clarisse laughed. "It was almost five before we decided that it might be better to go back inside!"

"Poor Kent…" Joe chuckled. "He spent the rest of the summer down at that lake with Phillipe… it was all he wanted to do…"

"Until he decided he wanted to learn to fly," Clarisse laughed, and Joe grinned over at her. "But that's a story for another time!"

Impulsively, Mia stood up and silently walked over to Clarisse, bending over to give her a hug, and whisper into her ear, so that no one else would hear:

"Thank you for telling me that story, Grandma… It's all these stories that make him more real to me… thank you," before she went back to her seat.

The others, meanwhile, were more than touched that Clarisse had told them one of her memories of Phillipe, and there was a peaceful silence around the fire before Shades cleared his throat.

"Well… Your Majesty, not only were you declared the best fisherperson of the day, but you also told the best story tonight!"

"It's because I'm around," Joseph pretended to preen, before leaning over and gently kissing her cheek as she laughed at him. "I always seem to bring the best out in her," he added.

There was a slight lull in the conversation before Clarisse stood up with an exhausted smile

"I think I might bow out and go to bed… it's been a very long day, and I want to have plenty of sleep… goodness knows what Joseph's planned for us tomorrow!" she threw an amused look at her husband, who had stood up as well.

"I resent that… it wasn't my idea to go hiking this morning!" he protested, and she only chuckled.

"Alright, I'll take the blame for that… but you don't need to go to bed early," she murmured into his ear as she passed, and he only took her hand in his.

"Unlike you, I didn't have a nap this afternoon," he teased and she laughed, before they turned to the rest of the group.

"Good night, everyone!" they said together as Sebastian and Sheila got to their feet as well.

"Aren't you going to come swimming with us later?" Scott asked innocently, and Joe chuckled.

"I think we might leave that to the younger members of the group!" he said as he followed Clarisse to the tent, and held up the tent flaps for her. "Have fun… and make sure you don't catch a cold!" he said, before following her in and zipping up the flaps.

"What a day," Clarisse sighed heavily as she sat down on the edge of the mattress and slowly undid her shoes.

"I thought you enjoyed yourself!" Joseph pretended to sound injured as he switched on the light, and retrieved her pyjamas for her.

"I did… but I suddenly feel very tired, and my feet… would you like to massage them for me again?" she teased as she began undressing, and he rolled his eyes.

"I only do it one time, and you expect me to do it for the rest of my life!"

"Of course," Clarisse chuckled.

"That was a lovely story you told them out there," Joe said a little shyly as he undressed himself near her, and she turned to him with a smile.

"It's one of my favourite stories… but, do you really remember that first time he swam?"

"Of course I do… I was always very fond of Phillipe, and it was wonderful to see him do that…"

"You know, you were his hero for a long time… from when he was about six till he was about twelve or thirteen, he wanted to be a bodyguard like you. I can still remember him saying 'I don't want to be a Prince, Mama. I want to be a bodyguard, wear black and carry a gun, just like Joe!"

Clarisse laughed affectionately as she lay down on the top of the unzipped sleeping bag, and he tenderly covered her with the top half, before sitting next to her.

"Did you tell him that I very rarely carried a gun- it was Rupert's bodyguards that did that!"

"I did, but he didn't believe me," Clarisse chuckled as he switched off the light.

"I have a little secret from that story… Kent told me, a little while afterwards, that he didn't show Rupert when he first could do it at the lake? He told Kent he wanted to 'show Mama first'- and he did!"

"Really?" Clarisse's eyes glowed in the dim light of the tent. "I guess that's understandable… we were always so close, and he was always my baby… Pierre never seemed terribly interested in sharing anything with me…" she sighed as he wriggled down the sleeping bag, and she turned to face him.

"You did a good job with those boys, Clarisse, and even though it seemed that Pierre didn't care, I know he did… very much," he murmured, stroking her face softly and she smiled.

"I know he did… So," she said, changing the subject. "Are you planning on going swimming with the others tonight?"

"I don't think so… not unless…"

"I may continually surprise you, Joseph, but there are still a few things that I won't do… and that's one of them! Besides, I really don't want to move… I just want to lie here and talk."

"What about sleep?" he ribbed gently.

"Aren't we sleeping in tomorrow?"

"That's right… so we can stay up all night talking, if we want… By the way, I've got this neat game I wanted to show you- Mia taught me it this afternoon… we have to grab each other's hand, and see if we can use our thumbs to hold the other one…."

"I've played this game before!" Clarisse said triumphantly as she raised herself onto one elbow, and stuck her hand out. "Phillipe showed me this years ago… and I bet you I can beat you!"

"Oh, really…"Joe said as he leaned on one elbow, and took Clarisse's hand in his, leaving the thumb free. "Well, we'll just have to see about that…."

Unfortunately for Clarisse, Joe was fairly good at the game, and she was eventually laughing so hard, while struggling to get her thumb out from under his, that she kept losing matches.

"Fine, I forfeit!" she said, collapsing back onto her pillow with a laugh.

"I told you I was good, didn't I?"

"Don't brag," Clarisse playfully shoved him, but then laughed along with him.

"I notice that you and young Lord Devereaux are finally getting along very well," Joe teased with a smile. "What did you have to say to make him finally relax around you?"

"Nothing… just that I have long since forgotten about what happened last year, and he has no excuse to feel guilty… By the way, did you two have a little talk about me when I wasn't here?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Joe said innocently, and she stared over at him shape for a moment before giving up and continuing her thought.

"I'm glad that he's finally relaxing around me… I guess he's still feeling guilty about what happened last year, but he really doesn't need to be…"she said thoughtfully, before telling Joseph what else they had discussed. "But we did have good fun picking out names for you!"

"Don't let Scott know anything about that, otherwise he's going to run a poll in the palace about what I should be known as!"

"That would probably bring about interesting results," came Clarisse's muffled reply, and Joe realised that she was laughing into her pillow.

"You're going to enjoy this, aren't you?" he said, turning her back to face him, and she nodded.

"Yes I am… I've already got my name, so now it's your turn!" She paused for a moment, before continuing. "I assume that you and Mia had a nice little chat when you were walkingin the forest this afternoon?"

"Yes… she's getting very cheeky these days," he said, but there was a tone of fondness in his voice. "She's getting more like you every day!"

"Me? I'm never cheeky to anyone!" Clarisse pretended to sound shocked, but then laughed.

"She told me that I was her biggest male influence in her life," Joe sounded quiet, and Clarisse moved closer to him, and gently put a hand on his chest. "She said that I'd been part of the family since she met me in San Francisco…"

"There you are, then," Clarisse said softly. "I've always thought of you as part of the family, and it seems that Mia feels the same way… so you don't have to worry about that anymore!"

Joe turned to look at her, before pulling her close and kissing her gently.

"I always knew I was lucky when I met you," he whispered tenderly into her ear, and she smiled.

"I'm the lucky one…" she trailed off as they heard noise from outside. "It sounds like they're all going midnight swimming!" she said, laughing as someone suddenly stood in front of their tent.

"Are you two going to be joining us now?" came Scott's voice from the outside.

"No thank you… but have a good time anyway!" Joe called back as Clarisse giggled quietly.

"You don't know what you're missing," he said in a sing song voice, before they heard Charlotte calling impatiently

"Come on, Scott!"

"Believe me, I think we do know what we're missing… are Sebastian and Sheila joining you?"

"No… they're just as chicken as you… well, gotta go…. Have fun sleeping!"

"Oh, we will!" Joe called out as Scott dashed away to catch up to the others. "I wonder how many of them will have colds in the next few days!"

"I don't know… just as long as Mia doesn't," Clarisse sounded concerned for a moment.

"She's sensible… and Nick will take care of her," Joseph said reassuringly, and Clarisse relaxed.

"I know… I think she should see that spot you took me to this morning… it's a beautiful spot, and she should know that her father loved it too…"

"Brilliant idea, Mrs Bonnell," Joe said, kissing the top of her head, and she looked over at him with a slightly mischievous smile.

"Do you want to play that game again?"

"Only if you realise that you aren't going to win," he retorted as they both sat up slightly again.

"No, I have a feeling this time that I'm going to be able to beat you!"


	12. We Can do this again soon'

_Author's Note: Sorry about the delay, but I'm kind of dragging my feet on this story because I've enjoyed it so much! (This is the longest story I've ever written!) I've decided to have an extra chapter instead of a sequel…although, a sequel may work eventually…and I'm already thinking!_

_The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me_

It was a little while later when they finally gave up on their game- Clarisse finally beating Joseph- and lay silently on the air mattress, staring up at the ceiling of their tent and listening to each other breathing. Clarisse suddenly giggled, and Joe looked over at her in amusement.

"What are you chuckling about now?"

"Nothing… I was just thinking about how horrified certain people would be if they knew how I've behaving over the last few days… in fact, they'd be stunned I actually went camping!"

"Yes, you have been acting rather immature lately," Joe joked warmly before continuing. "But, although some people- and I know who you're thinking of- would be disgusting at your behaviour, I think most people would find it endearing… I know I do…" before he leaned over and nuzzled her neck.

She laughed harder at his touch, and he suddenly realised something as he looked down at her.

"Are you ticklish?"

"No… No I'm not," Clarisse fibbed seriously, but the giggle in her voice told him otherwise.

"I can't believe I didn't know this… well, you must be sensitive here," he moved over next to her, and gently tickled her neck.

"Where else… here?" he ran his hands lightly down her shoulder and chest, and she giggled harder at his light touch, before trying to curl up into a ball. Joseph, however, wasn't going to give up as he firmly turned her back to face him.

"Oh… so you're ticklish everywhere!" he declared with a wide grin, before Clarisse lightly ran her hands down his pyjama shirt, and he pulled away.

"Oh, so you're ticklish too!" she crowed happily before they got busy trying to tickle each other, laughing harder and louder as the game progressed.

"I think we'd better stop," Clarisse finally gasped, rolling over onto her front. "I don't really want to wake Sebastian and Sheila… still, I can't believe that we've never realised how ticklish we both are!"

"Goes to show that, despite how well we know each other, there are still some things to be discovered, and surprised about!"

"It is wonderful that we able to continually able to discover new things about each other," she said softly, her ribs still aching from laughing. "You know, I don't think I've heard the young people come back yet!"

"Which is a good thing- they'd be wondering what we were doing in here if they could hear us!" Joe said as he wrapped an arm around her, and she leaned on his shoulder.

"They certainly would be surprised!"

"I just hope that we're asleep when they come back… and that they don't make too much noise."

0000

Unfortunately for Joe, that didn't happen- it was a little while later, just as they were both drifting off to sleep, when they heard the others return from their midnight expedition.

"What time do they call this?" Joe muttered as Clarisse, snuggled in next to him, tried to clear her head a little and find her bearings. He squinted at his glow in the dark watch, and almost yelled out in horror- it was 2:00 in the morning!

"Is it very late, dear?" came Clarisse's muffled query from underneath the covers, and Joe only growled in annoyance.

"2:00 in the morning… this is crazy!"

Just then, they heard someone outside trying to quieten the rest of the group down- although it seemed that only Scott and Kip were making the noise.

"Sshh… you're going to wake up the others!" Charlotte hissed as Kip and Scott, over excited by their dip in the river, banged tins and rocks together while trying to 'make a cup of tea', as Shades calmly explained.

"You don't think they did anything funny down there, do you?" Clarisse sounded concerned, but Joe shook his head reassuringly.

"Oh well, who cares if we're making too much noise… serves them right for not coming out with us tonight!" they heard Shades continue with a laugh, and Clarisse couldn't help but chortle quietly into her pillow.

"I'm going to get up and tell them off…"Joseph, now fully awake, murmured, but Clarisse stopped him with a gentle but firm hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about them, darling… I'm sure they'll be off to bed soon… In fact, I think I hear Mia and Nicholas next door…"

"You are too considerate and kind by far," Joe muttered into her ear, and she only giggled as she moved closer to him.

"They're having fun, and that's all that really matters…."

The noise continued on for a little while, the noisemakers now reduced to Kip and Scott, before Joe and Clarisse heard both Sebastian and Nicholas bellow from their tents:

"GO TO BED!"

"I think we had better go to bed, Kip," Shades said loudly. "I think people want to go to sleep!"

* * *

The sounds of birds singing, as well as several voices just outside the tent, woke Joe with a start the following morning. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, the silhouette of the trees visible through the material, before glancing at Clarisse and smiling- she was still fast asleep. Just then, the outline of someone stood in front of their tent, and a hoarse, although slightly muffled, whisper came through the tent.

"Joe! Hey Joe- are you awake in there?" Joe smiled (or nearly grimaced) and made his way out of the sleeping back, shivering slightly at the cool air but careful not disturb Clarisse, and made his way to the entrance of the tent.

"Joe! Are you coming fishing with us?" the voice was annoyingly persistent, and Joe quietly unzipped the tent and, blinking furiously in the sunlight, looked up to see Scott standing there, fully dressed and wide awake. Further back behind him stood Charlotte, Kip, Lily, Mia and Nicholas, all of whom didn't seem to be affected by their late night swim, were dressed and holding their fishing rods, but looked slightly embarrassed.

"No, but thank you for asking," Joe whispered loudly. "Didn't I mention yesterday that we were sleeping in?"

"I tried to tell him that," Charlotte whispered loudly, leaning around Shades. "But he wouldn't listen… I'm really sorry, Joe."

"It wasn't our idea either," Mia looked genuinely remorseful, and Joe couldn't help but smile.

"Don't worry about it… I was awake anyway… but have fun!" he waved them off, and then retreated back into the tent, trying to zip the flaps up gently.

He was back into the warmth of the sleeping bag, relieved that Clarisse appeared undisturbed, and was about to turn over to try to get back to sleep when he heard Clarisse murmur sleepily behind him.

"Did some certain young men, who shall remain nameless, want you to go fishing?"

"How did you guess?" Joe teased as he rolled over and faced her with a smile. "Apparently, it was all Scott's idea… poor Charlotte, she was so embarrassed, but I told them we were going to sleep in… Good morning, my beautiful wife," he said softly, stroking her cheek with his hand, and she smiled at him, now more awake.

"Good morning, my handsome husband…" she said gracefully before leaning over and kissing him. "What time is it, by the way?"

Joe glanced at his watch, squinting at it in the morning light and almost groaned aloud.

"It's about 6:30… I'm going to kill Scott when they get back!" but Clarisse only chuckled softly.

"You can't fault him for enthusiasm, though… Besides, it was their turn to get up early…"

"But we were careful not to wake anyone up!" Joe said, but there was a smile playing on his lips.

"Did Sebastian and Sheila go with them?"

"No, they were just as sensible as us, and stayed in the warmth… so, you're not at all tired from all that noise they made coming back last night?" Clarisse laughed.

"Obviously they can function well on less than six hours sleep," Joe said with a dry grin, and Clarisse smiled at him. "But you weren't too upset to be woken up, were you?" he asked anxiously, and Clarisse smiled lovingly at him.

He was always so protective and considerate about her and her feelings… he had always been like that, which was one of the things she really loved about him. No one had ever made her feel as protected and loved as he did….

"No darling, I was fine… it was actually quite funny to hear them playing up out there… I know you weren't happy, though," she leaned over and kissed his cheek tenderly as he grinned sheepishly.

"Alright, I'm not that good at being woken up…"

"Woken up?" Clarisse chortled. "We had been talking only ten minutes before!"

"Alright…I'm usually not that happy when I'm going off to sleep… but I was more worried about you!"

Clarisse beamed at him, touched that he was so solicitous about her.

"My kind, considerate hero," she murmured huskily into his ear, and Joe laughed, a little puzzled.

"Why on earth do both you and Mia think I'm a hero? I've never been shot…"

"Thank goodness for that," Clarisse interrupted with a shudder.

"I haven't done anything very extraordinary in my life… except marry you," he added as he gently caressed her hair.

"Just accept a compliment, Joseph… gosh, now I can see why we're so compatible!"

"Neither of us likes a compliment!" Joe finished with a grin.

"That's one of the things I liked about you- your modesty… actually, there are so many wonderful qualities about you… it's often made me wonder why someone like you wasn't taken off the market a long time ago," Clarisse said musingly, running her hands inside his pyjama shirt, and he felt goose bumps at the gentle touch of her fingers on her skin.

"Surely you must know the answer to that by now?"

"Yes… but surely there must have been another woman who caught your eye… any woman would have been lucky to be married to you… you're charming, chivalrous, sensitive, caring, bright…"

"Stop it, you're making me blush!"

"Oh, I see," Clarisse said understandingly but sounding amused. "It's alright for you to compliment me, but I can't return the favour?"

"Yes… but, going back to your idea, I know very well that there were plenty of other women who wanted to marry me- and some of them really tried to proposal out of me… I've since suspected that there were a few that were only interested so they could meet you… Anyway, there was only problem with their plans- I didn't want to be married to any of them… there was only one I ever wanted…"

"Their loss is my gain," Clarisse said in a low voice before she leaned over and kissed him.

"By the way, I forgot to tell you about what Mia said to me yesterday… I was telling her off for carrying too much wood, and said that you would tear strips off me if you knew… and young Mia said 'as if Grandma would ever tear strips off you… just one look at you, and she turns to putty in your hands!"

"Really- Mia said that?" Clarisse looked at him thoughtfully, not at all disturbed. "Cheeky as that sounds, I guess she's been more observant that I gave her credit for… it's true that just one look at you… Well, you know…" she blushed, and Joe laughed as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Yes, we both know you can't get angry at me… although I reminded Mia of that argument we had three months after the wedding…."

"As if I could ever forget that argument," Clarisse rolled her eyes in horror at the memory.

"…Apart from that, if we telling the truth now… just one look at you, and I melt too," Joe said softly, and she beamed up at him.

* * *

By the time the others had arrived back from their fishing expedition- with three fish between them- Clarisse and Joe had reluctantly decided to get up, and discovered that Sebastian and Sheila had arrived at the same conclusion.

"Maybe we should try that at home," he murmured as he followed her out of the tent, and she chuckled softly as she stood up.

"Maybe," she said with a seductive smile, before seeing Sheila and Sebastian emerging from their tent next door as Joseph pulled back the tent flaps.

"Morning!" Sebastian said cheerfully as he pulled back the tent flaps. "I hear you two had unexpected visitors early this morning!"

" Don't remind me," Joe rolled his eyes as he walked over to stoke up the fire. "I'm going to tell Scott of as soon as they get back…"

"Don't forget about last night!" Clarisse called mischievously, and Joe turned to look at her mock indignantly.

"I know what you're up to… and it's not going to work!" he said, grinning, before turning back to the fire. Clarisse laughed as she and Sheila settled down into chairs nearby and watched the two men work busily around the fire.

"Sebastian was going to get out of bed last night and tell them off!" Sheila chuckled in a whisper to Clarisse, who sniggered in return.

"He wasn't the only one with that plan… I had to restrain Joseph," she joked, and they quickly looked innocent as both men turned to look at them.

"Are you talking about us over there?" Sebastian inquired with a grin, and Sheila shook her head.

"Of course not…" she paused for a moment, hearing noise nearby. "I think I can hear the others coming back," she said calmly and, sure enough a few moments later, the younger generation came back through the forest.

"Good morning!" Scott called cheerfully as he carried the bucket through the campsite, and dumped it near the fire. "Did we all have a good sleep?"

"As a matter of fact, we didn't… not only did you keep us awake last night, but you had the cheek to wake us up this morning!" Joe growled as he turned away from the fire, but there was a tinge of good humour in his voice, and Shades grinned.

"I thought you would have liked to get up early and get some serious fishing in, Joseph!"

"I'm not like you," Joe retorted with a grin as he accepted a fry pan from Sebastian, and peered into the bucket where the fish were. "Who caught these? Did you get another one, Scott?

Mia grinned as the men continued to mock squabble, and collapsed into the chair next to Clarisse.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Clarisse asked attentively and Mia grinned at her.

"I'm feeling much better… I wasn't feeling the best when I first got up, but once I was down on the river… goodbye morning sickness!"

"Did you go swimming in that cold river last night?"

"No… I paddled on the shore, but I wasn't as silly as the others!" she shot a fond look at Charlotte and Lily, who were sitting near Sheila.

"It wasn't my idea!" Charlotte protested. "Besides, I believe that you were rather influenced by a certain best friend?" she looked from Mia to Lily with a pointed look, and the two girls had to laugh.

"But it was fun," Lily admitted with a grin. "We just wouldn't let Mia into the water past her feet!"

"Spoilsports," Mia pretended to sulk, but they all knew that she would put the health of her unborn child ahead of any midnight swim.

"By the way, I'm sorry for the noise two young men made last night… not to mention someone rudely waking you up this morning," Charlotte said in a slightly raised voice, attracting the attention of both Scott and Kip, while Sheila and Clarisse only grinned.

"It didn't worry us," Sheila said easily, waving between the two women. "Our men, on the other hand, might have been slightly annoyed…" she waved over to where the guys were still debating the sizes of the fish.

"What on earth are they going to do once we get back to civilization?" Mia murmured under her breath as they watched as the discussion got rather heated.

"I dread to think that far ahead… or, by the looks of the discussion in front of us, maybe I should be looking forward to it," Lily muttered in reply.

00000000

After breakfast, there was a general consensus that fishing might be the order of the day. Joe glanced at Clarisse, and realised that she wanted to show Mia the spot they had seen the previous morning.

"Do you want to do that now?" he murmured into her ear and Clarisse, knowing what he meant, nodded silently. While the others went to retrieve their fishing rods, Clarisse walked up to Mia.

"There's a place that Joseph and I want to show you and Nicholas… you don't mind missing an hour of fishing, do you?" she asked quietly and Mia turned around with a smile.

"No, I don't mind at all… are you going to take us to one of the places you and Joe happened to disappear to yesterday?"

"Yes… but this one is rather special…"

"Oh?" Mia looked intrigued before going to retrieve her husband, while Joe handed Clarisse her hat and squeezed her hand gently.

"We'll catch up with you guys a bit later," Nicholas said after Mia whispered something in his ear, and while Scott looked surprised, Sheila, with a quick glance at Clarisse, realised where they were going to go.

"Fine… see you four later then," he said cheerfully before leading the rest of the group into the forest.

"So, are you going to tell us a little bit about this place you're taking us to?" Mia asked in a joking tone.

"Before we go, I just wanted to tell you a little bit about where we're going," Clarisse said, sinking into a nearby chair, joined by Joe who massaged her knee gently.

"This around here- although not exactly here- is where your father, uncle and grandfather used to go camping, and the river is where Phillipe learned to swim… anyway, there was a trail that Phillipe used to take… I had no idea about it until yesterday," Clarisse shot an amused look at Joe. "But the view is absolutely magnificent… and Joseph told me that it had always been Phillipe's plan to take me… and then you… up there…"

"Really?" Mia looked happily from Joe to Clarisse. "I knew that Dad loved camping, but I had no idea where he went, or what he did…"

"He did everything that most young men would do," Joe said with a laugh. "But this spot… at sunrise it's spectacular, but the view is just as good during the day…."

"I'd love to see this spot… how far away is it?"

"About twenty minutes… but, I must warn you, there is a fairly steep climb to get there."

"I'll be fine… if not, I know my darling hubby will carry me back… won't you, honey?" Mia beamed over at Nicholas, who rolled his eyes and pretended to look resigned.

"I suppose I will…." Joe laughed

"That's something else you're beginning to discover, aren't you Nicholas... the Renaldi women can be very demanding!" he chuckled, ducking and narrowly avoiding a blow from his wife.

00000

Now that she had already done it once, Clarisse was surprised at how easily she managed to climb the steep hill for the second time. Joe, grinning at her obvious pleasure and surprise, was pleased.

"Didn't think you'd be able to make it again, did you?" he teased in an undertone as they stood at the top of the hill, surveying the scene before them as Mia and Nicholas continued their climb behind them.

"No, I didn't," Clarisse said honestly with a smile, feeling much better than she had the previous trip, before turning and watching Mia and Nicholas slowly climb to the top of the hill.

"If I'd known it was going to be that steep, I wouldn't have… come with you at all!" Mia gasped as, now that she had made it to the top, she sat down on the grass and reached for her water bottle.

"I think you gave us a very false impression of this hike, Joseph Bonnell!"

"I did warn you that it was steep," Joe said calmly as Nicholas collapsed onto the ground next to Mia. "But, before you say it, I have a much easier trail back to camp!"

After a few minutes, Nicholas and Mia had recovered enough to get slowly to their feet, and turn to look at the view in front of them. Clarisse and Joe were sitting down on their nearby rock.

"Wow," Mia said softly, walking away from them a little to stand at the edge of the ridge. "This is really beautiful… can you see the others down at the river from here?"

"I don't think so," Joe chuckled as he stood up and joined her. "We can't even see the campsite, and that's over there," he pointed in the opposite direction. Mia briefly glanced away, before looking back at the sight before her.

"It certainly makes that climb worthwhile," Nicholas said jovially as he stood next to Mia, and Joseph rejoined Clarisse sitting down. Mia looked out at the view for another moment, before turning and sitting down in front of her grandmother, tears in her eyes.

"How many times did Dad come up this way?" Clarisse turned to Joe for clarification.

"I think he came here a few times… he always seemed to like it up here…" he trailed off as Mia smiled tearfully at Clarisse.

"Thank you…" After a moment, Clarisse decided to tell Mia how her father had tried to get them together.

"Besides camping, your father was also rather busy trying to be a matchmaker," Clarisse said with a smile, and Mia had to grin.

"Let me guess… he was trying to get you two together!"

"Well… in a lot of ways, to us, we were already 'together' as you said," Joe smiled tenderly at Clarisse before turning to Mia with a grin. "He only wanted confirmation of that…"

"He probably already knew… but he really wanted to know, and asked us both…" Clarisse began to laugh at the memory. "When we were planning on getting married!"

"He did what?" Mia's eyes were wide open in astonishment

"Yes… well, he already knew that we were… well, in love," Clarisse said as she reached over and held Joe's hand in hers. "He thought that it was only a matter of time before we would get married."

"He told me, and I quote, 'the icing on the cake, when I'm King (apart from Amelia and her mother being here) is to see you two tie the knot'!"

"And despite trying to convince him that we were only friends, and that Joseph would work for him, Phillipe told me that Joseph wouldn't work for anyone else… and that 'July might be the perfect time for a wedding!" Mia and Nicholas laughed along with them before Mia asked a question.

"So, he approved of you?"

"Definitely… he was always convinced that I was the man for his mother…"

"He didn't get along very well with his father," Clarisse said hesitantly. "But we were always very close, and he wanted my happiness more than anything…."

"Well, he sounds exactly like me!" Mia said with a joyful smile. "I think if I had known about you two a little earlier, I would have tried to do the same!"

"I can imagine you would have," Clarisse laughed gently as she tossed some grass at her. "But, he was right in one way…."

"Oh?" all three of them looked at her in interest, and she looked around with a smile before meeting Joseph's eyes.

"July was a perfect time for a wedding!"

* * *

The next few days seemed to pass by in moments as everyone tried to pack in as much as possible- swimming, fishing, staying up late and talking- while thoroughly enjoying themselves… and it was a melancholy group that sat around the campfire on their last night.

"It's been a great week," Charlotte said as she poured herself another cup of coffee and sat down next to Scott. "I've never had so much fun in my life- and in the fresh air as well!"

"It has been a fun week, hasn't it?" Scott said in a soft voice, looking around the campfire at everyone. "I couldn't have imagined how much fun we had… especially once our better halves arrived," he shot an amused look at Charlotte, who patted his arm.

"That sounds almost like a compliment, Scott," Mia said from her place. "So… I think we'll accept it as such! Anyway, I never thought I would see Grandma out and about in the great outdoors… nor do some of the things she has!"

"You cheeky…" Clarisse began with a broad smile, before Mia continued.

"But she's continually surprising us… I don't know how you put up with her constant surprises, Joe… but I think she must have had a good time out here!"

She cast a sidelong, impish look at Clarisse, who looked for something to throw at her but, as she couldn't find anything, just grinned.

"I suppose I might have had a good time… alright, I definitely have!" she amended with a chuckle when Joseph, sitting next to her, quietly cleared his throat. "It's been fantastic being out of the palace and here… I now know why Phillipe loved camping so much," she ended softly, glancing down at her hands for a moment, before looking up and beaming at the rest of the group.

"I think the best part of the trip, for me, was having Clarisse here, and seeing her do so many things I would never have thought she would do," Joseph said with a grin, and Clarisse swatted him on the arm.

"Yes Mia, being married to your grandmother means being in a constant state of surprise… but I wouldn't have it any other way," he smiled softly over at his wife as he took her hand and kissed it.

"Well, all I can say is that at least this trip wasn't as disastrous as our previous trip!" Sheila joked with a grin, and Sebastian laughed along with her.

"Although, I think the craziest (and funniest) part was when a group of men- all of whom should have known better- decided to have a bet to see who would catch the first fish!...Thankfully, Clarisse deflated all those egos by catching the first one!" she laughed out loud, joined by Joe and the other women, while the men looked slightly abashed.

"Must you remind of that day?" Sebastian moaned. "I would rather forget all about it!" and Mia sat up in her chair with a wide smile.

"Well, since you all want to forget it that much… I think we might have to keep telling that story, and never letting it die…"

"You aren't being very nice, Mia," Nicholas said mock petulantly from his seat next to her. "Does this mean you're going to be telling our son or daughter too?"

"Of course!" she beamed, and Nicholas rolled his eyes before an idea suddenly struck him.

"So… if you tell them that, it must mean that I'm allowed to tell them about your gambling at that horse race, not to mention…."

"Falling into the fountain," Clarisse contributed with a smile.

"Racing off on your horse before the end of inspecting the troops," Lily added with a sly smile.

"Almost not turning up for your own Independence Day Ball," Joe said quietly, and Mia looked around the group with a look of mock disgust.

"You guys are going to keep reminding me of those incidents for the rest of my life?"

"Of course," Joe said with a quiet smile, and Mia threw a look of mock anger at him.

"Watch it, Joseph Bonnell…! Rats, okay… I give up," she murmured to her husband, who leaned over and whispered something into his ear, setting her off laughing. Joe yawned and stretched, before glancing at his watch.

"If we went to get up early to have all the packing done, and have some fishing time, I'd say it might be a good idea if we all get some sleep… I know that Scott and Kip are probably going to have to get up even earlier to clean out that tent of theirs!" He grinned when the two men in question raised their voices in protest.

"I resent that," Shades began as Joe, followed by Clarisse, Sebastian and Sheila, stood up and made a move towards their tents. "I know you're very neat… but it's…. an organised mess!"

"Most of which is Scott's… I'm a very tidy fellow!" Kip added in protest, and Joseph laughed- it didn't take long to stir the young men up.

0000

Everyone was up and about early the next morning, busy cleaning, packing up and taking down the tents. Clarisse watched in fascination, but with a pang of sadness, as Joseph took down the tent… for five days it had been their little home away from home, and now it was all over and they had to leave…

"Don't worry…" Joe, noticing her gaze, stopped packing for a moment to put his arms around her and kiss her gently on the cheek.

"It just feels like… you're destroying our little home… even though it was only for five days," she said hesitantly, worried that Joseph would think that she was crazy, but when she looked at him, she could tell that he was feeling the same way.

"I guess I'm house wrecker then," he joked tenderly, but he was touched at how much she had enjoyed herself, and how much she didn't want it to end. "How about you and I go camping again sometime soon… we could even come back here if you want!"

"Really?" her eyes lit up with delight. "That would be wonderful!"

There was a slight pause as Joseph continued packing the tent and its pegs away, while Clarisse folded up the blankets, before she sighed.

"What?" Joseph turned to look at her with a grin.

"I am going to miss all of this… but I do have to admit that I'm looking forward to our bed tonight… not to mention a lovely hot shower!"

"I knew you would have to miss a few home comforts, despite all your talk," he teased as he finished putting the tent away, and joining her on the ground to roll up the sleeping bags. "What else did you miss while we were here?"

"Hmmm…" she looked thoughtful for a moment. "Nothing else really… your clothes are less confining than some of mine, I loved the peace and quiet without phones or maids, and the food… well, maybe I missed some of those desserts that Jean loves to make!"

"Mmm… Do you think he'd make us one of his special chocolate tarts tonight?"

"We'll have to ask him… but that would be nice," Clarisse said happily as they finished packing up the sleeping bags, and stood up to see what the others were doing.

Sebastian and Sheila were calmly finishing packing their sleeping bags, while Mia and Nicholas were sitting in the middle of their half packed tent, and giggling. Meanwhile, Kip and Scott (having long since finished packing- a point Scott made sure Joseph knew) were helping Charlotte and Lily with their gear.

"Did you want a hand with your packing?" Joe and Clarisse walked over to Mia and Nicholas. Mia looked up, literally gasping with laughter.

"We thought we had a good start on it… but, yes please…."

They finally finished packing, and the men began hauling equipment to the three cars.

"We don't have to worry about packing it properly- we've got three cars and two trailers to use!" Shades called happily as he tossed his bags into one of the trailers. Mia, of course, wasn't allowed to carry anything, and Joseph quickly chivvied Clarisse into the chair next to her.

"I'm not completely helpless, Joseph! I can carry boxes!" she called after his retreating back, and he turned around to grin at her.

"I know you have…" but he still wouldn't let her help. Charlotte and Lily both ignored Scott and Kip's entreaties not to help, but Sheila soon found herself in the same position as Mia and Clarisse.

"I suppose we should be grateful that our men are gentlemen!" Sheila said with a smile on her face. They were soon all finally packed, but it was getting far too late to go fishing, as it was almost lunchtime when they were all ready to go.

"So, who is going to go with whom?" Shades said with a cheeky grin at Joseph, who suddenly remembered the trip down with him and silently decided not to travel with him again.

The Motezes, Clarisse and Joe decided to travel together in one 4WD, the younger two couples in the seven-seater van… which left the last 4WD to Charlotte and Shades.

"Good luck with Scott's music choice!" Joe called to Charlotte as he opened the passenger door for Clarisse and Charlotte rolled her eyes while Shades threw Joe a withering look. When he looked back at the front seat, Clarisse wasn't sitting there- to his surprise, she and Sheila Motez were grinning at him from the backseat.

"I would have thought…."

"I thought you and Sebastian will enjoy chatting in the front seat," she replied with a smile.

Clarisse watched, a little regretfully, as the campsite disappeared from view but then smiled- like Joseph had promised, they would be able to do it again… and soon!

000000

The trip back, like the last few days, seemed to go quickly- although, when Joseph looked back at Clarisse and Sheila, he laughed when he saw that they were both asleep.

"Must have been a big week for them!" he joked when he turned back to face the road again, and Sebastian laughed.

"Must have been… but, still, it was good to have them along, wasn't it?"

"It was terrific… I honestly didn't think Clarisse would do something like camping!"

Sebastian grinned over at Joseph- as usual, Joe didn't realise how strong the connection between them was, and how much Clarisse really loved him…

"She's always been so readable and reliable in the past… but now... it's sometimes hard to believe that she's the same woman!"

"I guess you bring out the playful side of her nature," Sebastian said wisely, not adding that he liked seeing the relaxed side of Clarisse. She had always been so closed up and reserved for so long… Mia and Joe brought the best out in her.

The women woke up by the time they drove into the driveway of the palace, and none of them were surprised to see that the other two cars had arrived there long before them.

"I suppose if we had wanted to race them, we shouldn't have stopped for lunch at that restaurant," Joe said wisely as he helped Clarisse down from the 4WD, and she chuckled.

"But I'm glad we didn't," she said calmly as they watched the rest of the security team, most of whom had been on holiday for the week, help the younger men carry equipment and gear in from the cars. They followed them in, and Clarisse smiled as she heard Mia's laugh echo from upstairs. It was rather strange to be back in the palace, after the simple life they had lead in the bush, but Clarisse was a little glad to be back.

"I guess Mia and Nicholas are going to have to start thinking about where they are going to have the nursery," Joe commented as, hand in hand, they followed their luggage upstairs and into their suite, where the 'boys in black' (as Mia called them) deposited it on the floor, and silently left the room.

"You're right... I hope she doesn't call in Rupert's cousin to help with the decorating," she laughed as she walked into the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed with a happy sigh.

"Yes, I did miss the comfort of this…" Joe laughed as he sat down next to her.

"I suppose next time we go camping, you'll want to bring this with you?"

"Don't be silly," she gave him a cheeky grin. "Although I may expect you to bring one of the mattresses with you…" before she collapsed into laughter at the expression on his face.

"But you did have a good time, didn't you?"

"Of course I did… it was lovely to spend time with our closest friends, experience some of the 'great outdoors', finally make Nicholas feel relaxed around me… that's it…"

"That's it…" Joe teased, moving closer to her on the bed, and she laughed at him.

"Alright… there may have been a little pleasure at being able to spend time with you… and I loved every minute of everything we did… thank you…"

"My pleasure,"" he said softly, knowing she was thinking about that hike they had gone on.

"You're going to have trouble topping it next time, though!"

"Oh, I might have a few more tricks up my bag," Joe laughed as he pulled her close to kiss her.


	13. The Name Game

_Author's Note: I'm finally finished! Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this story- it has been such fun to write, and I've enjoyed it greatly. This has been the longest story I have written! Watch this space- there may be a sequel!_

_The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me._

It was a cold late February day in Genovia, and most of the county was huddled inside around their heaters and fires… and the occupants of the palace, on the outskirts of Pyrus, were no different. While Mia was trying to complete some last minute issues before the arrival of the baby, due in another week, Clarisse and Joe were cuddled up on the couch in front of a crackling fire, and watching a film on television.

"What a perfect way to spend a chilly winter day," Joseph said with a grin and Clarisse, who was lying in her favourite position next to him, looked up and laughed, a look of mock surprise on her face.

"Don't tell me that my number one security man, one of the best in Genovia, is softening up and becoming a marshmallow or a couch potato? We haven't even been married two years!"

"It's a gradual process," Joe said wisely as he stroked her hair. "I've spent so many years on my toes, and being the best bodyguard I could be, it's actually a relief to be able to relax…"

"I know what you mean… it's still a novelty to me that I don't have a country to run, parliament to argue with or even travel as extensively as I used to!"

Clarisse looked thoughtfully into the fire for a moment- it had been almost two years since she had stepped down, and she was still enjoying every minute of her 'retirement' (although she hated that word)… Mia and Joseph took up all of her time, although she still did some charity work, and Joseph seemed to make everything so much fun and easy….

"Yes, I think we're both enjoying all the time we have on our hands… I guess that since we've always had to put everything else in front of our own lives, it's a little different now… but I'm enjoying not being on my toes 24/7!"

Well… I know one way of keeping you on your toes…" she began teasingly, sitting up and looking at him and he laughed.

"Being married to you is one way of keeping me permanently on my toes!" he interjected.

"Yes… but how about you and I go fishing down on the lake for a while?"

"Not again!" Joe mock groaned- since their trip last August, Clarisse had become extremely interested in fishing, and wanted to do it whenever she had the chance. They had had gone on several day trips around Genovia, and down to the lake on the palace grounds, but Joe had to draw the line at fishing on a cold day… in the snow and ice!

"Why not?" Clarisse pouted, but there was a smile playing on the edges of her mouth.

"I can give you several very good reasons why we shouldn't do that: one, it's freezing cold out there; two, I don't want either of us to spend the next week in bed with colds- particularly since there is supposed to be a little arrival due…"

"True," Clarisse amended with a smile- she didn't want to miss that for anything in the world.

"Three," Joe continued. "It's freezing cold out there…"

"You already mentioned that one," Clarisse said impertinently, and Joe laughed.

"I know, but I just wanted to emphasize the importance of that reason…. Besides, I'm not digging a path down to the lake and then crack the ice… and it might start snowing again!"

"Alright, you win…" Clarisse said with a chuckle as she stretched out on the couch again next to him. "Besides, I wasn't really serious about going… I just wanted to see how many reasons you would give me not to go," she added flippantly, hiding her face, as Joe gasped.

"You…. You…." He sputtered, before leaning up on an elbow and looking down at her laughing face. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you, Mrs Bonnell!" before he leaned down and kissed her.

"Anyway, you were the one who introduced me to the art of fishing," she said with a grin.

"Actually no I didn't… your son did that… so it's all his fault!"

"But I caught my first fish with you, so you're just as much to blame as him!" Clarisse retorted but they both began laughing.

Although it might have sounded like squabbling to other people, they enjoyed teasing each other- even though they did have the occasional argument, whereby Clarisse stalked off to Mia and Nicholas commiserated with Joe, they very rarely argued at all.

"It just goes to show that 25 years of friendship is a good way of preventing arguments once you're married!" Joe had said cheerfully when Nicholas had commented on it once.

"But we'll go fishing once the weather warms up," Joe promised, and Clarisse smiled happily at him.

"Maybe you'll be able to teach your little great-grandson or granddaughter to fish as well!"

"Mia and I have already discussed that, and she said she would prefer me to teach her to fish, rather than Scott… and he got rather offended at that!" Joe roared with laughter, but Clarisse only smiled vaguely, occupied with something else he had said.

"Her?" Clarisse sat up and looked at him archly. "What makes you so sure that it's a girl?"

"I just have the feeling that it's a girl," Joe said smugly, before looking questioningly at her. "Why? Do you think she's having a boy?"

"_I _had two boys," Clarisse said knowingly.

"That doesn't prove a thing… Phillipe had a daughter," Joe countered with a grin.

"Maybe so, but it might also mean that Mia could end up having the next King of Genovia!"

"There's a fifty fifty chance either way… Don't you want any great-granddaughters?"

"Of course I do… just to see you being wound around their little fingers (like you are with Mia) would be worth it," she said with an impish grin. "But darling, I honestly think this baby is going to be a boy."

"Would you like to place a bet on that?" Joe asked slyly, not at all sure that she would accept it. She looked mildly shocked for a moment before her eyes began to twinkle with pleasure.

"How much are you suggesting, darling?"

"I thought Queens didn't approve of betting or gambling!" Joseph gasped, pretending to be shocked.

"But I'm a former Queen," Clarisse protested, before smiling. "Besides, it wouldn't be that large a sum, would it?"

"No…. what about twenty dollars…. I win if it's a girl…"

"And I win if it's a boy!" Clarisse finished triumphantly and they shook hands on the deal. "I just hope you have the money ready, because I think I'm right!"

"We'll just have to wait and see about that," Joseph contradicted, but he had to smile. No matter that they had just bet on what Mia would have, Clarisse wouldn't really care- all that mattered was that the baby was healthy… Clarisse was very excited about the new arrival in the palace… but she wasn't the only one….

0000000

The country had literally been celebrating the news for the past six months, almost to the day since Mia and Nicholas had announced it, and presents had been pouring in from every part of the country, not to mention the rest of the world!

"What on earth am I going to do with all of this?" Mia asked, a little horrified, as she surveyed the newly decorated baby's nursery, which was full of gifts- toys, clothes, nappies, bottles, furniture, prams… most of it had been sent from around the world, but Clarisse, Helen, Charlotte and Sheila had all contributed a fair bit as well, much to the astonishment and slight disgust of their husbands and Scott.

"It's only a baby… how much is it going to use in the first few years of its life?" Scott had asked when he had seen the gifts, and both Sebastian and Joseph had muttered their agreement.

"You men just don't understand how quickly a child grows," Sheila said briskly but Joe noted that even Nicholas looked slightly taken aback at how much accumulated in the past few months.

"I think I may have to donate a lot of it to the orphanage… and charities," Mia said thoughtfully as she turned to her grandmother. "What do you think, Grandma?"

"I think that's a wise idea, darling," Clarisse said calmly.

But, despite the overload of continuous presents that arrived daily, both Mia and Nicholas were incredibly grateful for the support and good wishes that they had received. It had quickly become clear that the newest Renaldi was a highly anticipated arrival, as illustrated by the constant besiege Lily was under- now that Mia had gone into 'confinement', the phones were ringing off the hook regarding when the baby was due, what it was going to be called, when the public would see it….

"I hope Mia goes into labour soon- I'm just about at the end of my rope!" Lily complained only two days previously, and Clarisse was sympathetic.

"Well, the last royal baby was born 45 years ago, so I suppose that it's very exciting to welcome the next generation of Renaldis," Clarisse said thoughtfully. But she knew that Lily was secretly enjoying a lot of it, and was grateful that she was going to be there when her best friend had her baby. The royal suite at the hospital had been on standby for the past two weeks, and everything was in a high state of excitement and anticipation.

"There is going to be a very big celebration, isn't there?" Mia asked with a wry grin one day. She had been enjoying relatively good health for the last six months, and she was planning on having at least a month off to spend time with her newborn, and Clarisse was ready to step into her shoes temporarily, despite some grumbling from the elder statesmen from parliament.

"Just as long as I'll be able to spend time with my great-grandchild!" Clarisse joked when they had gone over the final plans the previous week.

"What about me?" came Joseph's mock plaintive cry from behind them, and Clarisse peered over her glasses at him on the couch.

"I suppose I might have some time for you as well," she said teasingly, and ducked as he threw a cushion at her. Two nannies had been lined up, but Nicholas and Mia made it clear that they were going to be very involved, and Clarisse quickly volunteered herself and Joseph for babysitting duties.

"I never had that much time with my children," Clarisse told Joe a little sadly when she told him her plans. It would always be one of her greatest regrets that she hadn't stood up to Rupert and the nannies, and insisted she had more time with her sons. "I had to make my visits by appointment… and I'm going to make sure that Mia doesn't have to put up with that!"

"Sounds like you're already on the warpath," Joe joked, squeezing her hand, but feeling sad that she had been refused more time with her own children.

00000000

"I hope that parliament finally wraps that meeting this afternoon," Clarisse said as she stood up, stretched and walked over to the nearby cabinet to retrieve the afternoon tea tray. "I personally don't have any experience in that area, but I can only imagine that sitting in that chair, on a cold day and a week away from their due date, would be acutely uncomfortable!"

"I wouldn't worry about it- Sebastian is well aware of the situation, and he'll probably end it soon anyway," Joe said comfortingly, sitting up on the couch as Clarisse carefully set the tray down on the nearby table, and sat down next to him.

"You know, you don't look like someone who is about to be a great-grandfather," Clarisse teased as she poured two cups of tea, and handed him his as he gave her a withering look. "I meant that as a compliment… you don't even look like a married man!"

"Thank you… I guess I've been lucky to have such good looks… it definitely attracted you in the beginning, didn't it?" he teased, knowing that it wasn't what had attracted Clarisse to him.

"Oh yes, you were so handsome!" Clarisse laughed along with him. "No, I'm not that shallow Joseph! There were other qualities that were more endearing than your looks… although your smile was one of the first things I noticed about you."

"Really? The first thing I noticed about you was… was your absolutely breathtaking blue eyes… they're still as wonderfully gorgeous and sparkling as they were the first day we met… only," he added, putting down his tea cup and cupping her face in his hands.

"There isn't anymore sadness in them… they look happy and content now," he finished softly before kissing her. She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling with tears, before they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Joe called as they moved apart, picking up their tea cups and watching as Mia walked in through the open door.

"I need to sit down… ahh," she sighed happily as she sat down in Clarisse's favourite chair. "Gosh, this place is such a zoo at the moment… is one baby the cause of all of this?"

"A big cause," Joe joked as Clarisse collected a third cup from the cabinet and poured her granddaughter a cup of tea. "Didn't you know that?"

"What is going on around the palace?" Clarisse asked as Mia gratefully accepted her tea.

"Lily is literally tearing her hair out about the phone calls, which still haven't stopped; parliament wants to know when I'm having time off, and my darling husband decided to go into town with his security detail! He's supposed to be picking up Mom and Patrick from the airport in half an hour!"

"Don't worry, everything is going to calm down soon enough," Clarisse said soothingly, sitting back on the couch and looking at her granddaughter.

She looked radiant, a little tired perhaps, but happier than Clarisse had ever seen her… after seeing her spend so much time at the children's shelter, she knew that Mia was going to be a wonderful mother.

"I hope so," Mia said with a tired smile. "Anyway, what have you two been up to all day?"

"We've been watching movies… but your grandmother wanted to go fishing just before…" Joe said hurriedly as Clarisse threw him a look.

"I did not- I was just teasing you!" before she turned back to Mia. "How was your meeting?"

"Thankfully Sebastian stepped in before the debates got too heated… that chair is not comfortable at the best of times, but now…."

She looked into the fire with a deep sigh, and Clarisse and Joe exchanged a smile.

"Actually Mia, we were wondering if you could tell us something? We've been thinking about names… have you and Nick chosen your names yet?" Joe asked and Mia grinned at him.

"Yes we have… and no, we're not telling anyone- not even you two!" she added as Clarisse opened her mouth to protest. "It's going to be a surprise to everyone!"

00000000

An hour later, Mia had disappeared to find her mother- who had just arrived from America, leaving Clarisse and Joe to their own devices. Despite several entreaties from both of them, Mia refused to tell them anything more about the names- not even the middle names!

"Don't worry, Lily and Mom are just as in the dark as you two, so you're no different from the others!" Mia laughed impishly as she left the room- she could tell that Clarisse and Joe were both dying of curiosity, and she was enjoying keeping a secret from two of her closest confidantes.

"She must have a surprise in mind for one of us," Clarisse said thoughtfully as Joe went to swap DVDs.

"I have an inkling that your name is somewhere in the mix if it's a girl," he said as he closed the DVD case with a snap, and held up two others for Clarisse's approval.

"Yes, as a middle name… but I also have my suspicions that yours is also a contender," Clarisse said calmly as she pointed to the second case, and he grinned when he saw what she had chosen. They had already watched one of her romance films, so she obviously realised that it was his turn to enjoy a movie.

"I don't think so, darling… There are plenty of other good names to choose from… why on earth would they choose Joseph?" he asked as he put the DVD in the player before coming back to sit next to Clarisse.

"I don't know… why shouldn't they… it's actually a lovely name," Clarisse said in a warm tone as she moved closer next to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"You're just biased," he joked as he settled back onto the couch and put an arm around her. "I bet you didn't like the name before you met me though, didn't you?"

He looked at her intently, a sparkle of mischief in his eyes, and she only grinned at him- she knew that he was trying to tease her.  
"No, I've always liked the name Joseph… I actually prefer calling you that than Joe- it sounds more….."

"Gentlemanly," Joe finished for her with a grin. "I like you calling me Joseph- no one else seems to, not that I mind, but it would sound strange you calling me Joe… But I don't think Mia and Nicholas would consider it as a front runner."

"I still don't think you should discount your name as a contender… mine is a given, I know that, but I think that Mia might have a little surprise for you…."

"No, I think it's more likely to be Nicholas or Phillipe… or even Rupert…"

"I don't think Rupert is an option… but just wait and see- I could be right…."

"And you will then be impossible to live with if you win both the bet and this argument…" Joe growled with a grin on his face, Clarisse laughing, as he leaned over and kissed her.

"Don't worry," Clarisse murmured when they resurfaced. "I won't be too hard on you if I win…"

* * *

Clarisse and Joe spent the rest of the afternoon, and much of the evening, watching films and trying to think of possible names that Mia and Nicholas would have chosen. Their guesses were getting rather outlandish as they headed to bed, and Joe still wasn't convinced about Clarisse's prediction. 

"Oh well, we'll find out in the next week or so," Clarisse said as she emerged from her dressing room and climbed into bed. Joseph laughed at her optimism- he was positive that it was going to be a girl, and he couldn't wait to see her reaction when they found out her name was in there…

"By the way," Clarisse asked as Joseph climbed in next to her, and switched off the light before they snuggled up together. "Have you and Mia finally come to a decision about what you're going to be known as?"

"The list has been narrowed down to a few, but we'll have to see… I will not be known as the Joe Man as Scott suggested!" Joe growled good naturedly as Clarisse laughed along with him.

"That one is a little strange, I will admit, but whatever you two decide, I'm sure it will be good," she smiled at him in the dark before he leaned over and kissed her goodnight.

Joseph went to sleep almost immediately, but Clarisse lay awake and thought about the new baby- it was going to be such a wonderful celebration, and the country was highly excited about it.

She herself was grateful that the pressure hadn't been quite as intense when Pierre and Phillipe were born, but she was still rather concerned about Mia… hopefully it wouldn't be for much longer… She was just drifting off to sleep when there was a loud banging on the door.

After listening to a second bang, Clarisse carefully slipped out of bed and walked to the door, switching on a light as she went. Standing outside was a fully dressed Lily.

"Your Majesty," she began quickly- although Lily usually spoke at a rapid pace most of the time, now it seemed she was on hyper speed. "Mia and Nicholas are on their way to the hospital, but wanted you to know… Also, can you call Prime Minister Motez and, for Scott, Charlotte? A car is at your disposal if you want it… thanks!" she dashed off down the hall as Clarisse watched her go before realising what was going on… Mia had gone into labour!

"JOSEPH!" she shouted as she closed the door behind her and tore into the bedroom, switching on more lights as she went. "Joseph! Wake up! We have to get to the hospital!" she called to the stirring figure of her husband before beginning to rummage through their shared built in wardrobe.

"Wassgoinon?" Joe asked blearily, half asleep as he sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes.

"Mia's gone to the hospital- and we have to get there!" she called frantically as she tossed a pair of his jeans and a jumper onto the bed before rummaging for clothes for herself.

"Why on earth do we have to go to the hospital now?" Joe yawned, still sitting in bed. "I don't think the baby will arrive in the next fifteen minutes!"

"Joseph Peter Bonnell, this our first great-grandchild, and if you think that I'm going to sit here and wait, you've got another think coming!" she shouted, very unlike the usually unflappable Clarisse, turning to face him with her hands on her hips. She was surprise to see Joe chuckling out her, and stepping into his jeans.

"That's payback for trying to make me go fishing this afternoon!" he crowed at her as she tossed one of his shirts at him, and began stepping into her own clothes.

"That's not funny!"

After she finished dressing, she started looking around the room for something, but couldn't remember what it was. Joseph, in the meantime, had calmly got dressed and he walked over to put an arm around her waist.

"Relax… we are going to get there!"

"I'm sorry, I'm just…" Clarisse couldn't describe how she was feeling, but Joe, knowing how she was feeling, gave her a reassuring hug.

"I know, darling, but we will get there in time!"

000000

It was a quiet trip to the hospital- Joseph successfully reached Sebastian and Charlotte on his mobile phone, while Clarisse stared out the window of the car and hoped that everything was going well for Mia. She almost jumped out of her skin when she felt Joseph take her gloved hand in his and squeeze it.

"Relax… everything is going to be fine!"

"I just hope the press haven't caught on to it yet," Clarisse said anxiously but, to her surprise, the entrances to the hospital were clear of people when the car smoothly pulled up to a stop.

"Thank goodness," she murmured as they hurried inside. She was surprised to see a few people still sitting or walking around as they hurried through the hospital but when she glanced at her watch, she was surprised to see that it was only 9:30.

"Maybe I should pretend that I've hurt myself… everyone's staring at us!" Clarisse joked as they strolled towards the elevators, hand in hand, and Joe had to laugh.

"I don't think that would work, my love- you don't look at all injured… but a good diversion anyway," he added as they stepped into the empty elevator, followed by Clarisse's three permanent bodyguards.

When they finally entered the living room area of the royal suite, Joe laughed when he saw Scott sitting in the corner, looking rather ill.

"Don't tell me you don't do well with pain?" he joked as he sat down next to Shades with a laugh, and Shades rolled his eyes.

"I handle pain just fine… it's just that Her Majesty sounded as though she was in a lot…."

"How is she?" Clarisse asked anxiously but, before Shades could answer, the double doors opened again and in stepped Sebastian, Sheila and Charlotte.

"You didn't take long to get here!" Joe stared at them in surprise, and Sebastian laughed as he and Sheila sat down opposite Clarisse and Joe, and Charlotte sat next to Shades, murmuring sympathetically into his ear.

"We don't live twenty minutes outside Pyrus, remember?"

Clarisse was about to ask Scott again about Mia, but she was interrupted by a door opening on her left, and in came Nicholas, looking slightly harried.

"How is she?" Clarisse asked, standing up immediately.

"She's doing really well…it still might take a while, but the doctor is happy with her progress. Mia sent me out to tell you that…"  
"Thank goodness," Clarisse sat down again in relief, as Nicholas waved briefly to the others, and disappeared back through the door he had just entered. She sighed and glanced around at the others- she was so pleased that they had joined in her waiting.

"Did anyone want a cup of tea or anything?" Charlotte asked after a moment. "I thought that the suite was supposed to have a kitchen…."  
"Over there," Shades waved to another door, and Charlotte nodded as she looked around the room.

"One tea, please," Clarisse began, and then looked at Joseph. "Darling?"

"Coffee for me, please."

"Teas for us," Sebastian said after consulting Sheila, and Charlotte stopped and looked at Scott.

"A very strong cup of coffee… I'll help!"

The two of them disappeared into the kitchen, and Sebastian gave Joseph a quizzical look.

"I think he might have been a little shocked at how much pain Mia was in," Joe said calmly, and Sebastian burst out laughing. Sheila, however, playfully hit him on the arm.

"You shouldn't laugh- you almost fainted when Marissa was born!"

"Poor Scott," Sebastian stopped laughing, and said in an almost convincing sympathetic voice.

"Right… just for that, you and I can go and help Charlotte!" Sheila said with a grin, and literally dragged Sebastian into the kitchen.

"Thank goodness I never had to put up with pain and hospitals," Joe said with a grin as he sat back on the couch, and Clarisse cuddled up next to him. "How did His Majesty cope?"

"I barely remember when Pierre was born, but with Phillipe… I recall that I swore at Rupert more than once, and tried to have him thrown out of the room- he insisted on being there, even though it wasn't done…"

"And how did he react?"

"He just laughed and patted my hand, telling me 'that it will be all over soon, darling'… Not exactly what I wanted to hear!"

"How long…"

"About ten hours… it felt like forever, but once I saw him, I knew it was all worth it," Clarisse said softly, her eyes filling with tears as she remembered the first time she had laid eyes on her second son… Love at first sight… It had been the most beautiful moment, and it had almost ripped her heart out when he was killed 36 years later…

Joseph squeezed her hand tenderly, and she looked over at him with tears spilling onto her cheeks.

"Oh, sweetheart…" he murmured, pulling her close for a hug, and she wiped her eyes quickly.

"I'm not sad… it's just that…"

"You don't need to explain anything to me…"

000000000

The hours seemed to drag by, but Nicholas came in almost every hour to give them an update, and take a sip of someone's coffee. By three thirty in the morning, Scott was getting bored but, as Mia's Head of Security, he couldn't even go for a walk outside… he had to stay near the Queen (or in close proximity to where she was), so he began pacing… which eventually drove Joseph nuts.

"Alright, Scott! You and Charlotte go and have a quick stroll down to the hospital gardens or something… there's enough agents here to take care of the Queen and Clarisse… go!" he finally said, and Scott, dragging Charlotte by the hand, couldn't make a fast enough exit.

"I guess he's not used to being cooped up for so long," Joe joked to Sebastian who chuckled along with him, and Sheila and Clarisse just rolled their eyes.

Clarisse was just about to move to the kitchen to get another round of teas and coffees, when Nicholas, clad in a green gown, walked into the room, followed by the equally serious faces of Lily and Helen.

"Clarisse and Joe… could you come with me for a moment?" Nicholas said in a sober voice, and Clarisse almost thought her heart had stopped… something had happened… she couldn't bear to think what… Joe clutched her hand tightly as they followed Nicholas out of the silent room, and waited as he closed the door behind him.

If they had stayed standing at the door for a few seconds more, they would have heard shrieks of delight. Clarisse was pale and nervous as they walked behind Nicholas, and she stopped for a moment outside the room, calming herself down, before walking in to see…. that Mia sitting up in bed, beaming happily and holding a tiny blue bundle in her arms.

"Grandma, Joe… I would like you both to meet your great-grandson!"

"Oh darling!" Clarisse cried, tears spilling from her eyes, as she rushed over to the side of the bed and kissed her granddaughter, before looking down at the tiny bundle in her arms. In the back ground Clarisse was vaguely aware of Joe and Nicholas shaking hands, but all she could see was the little boy in front of her.

"Would you like to hold him?" Mia asked calmly, looking at her with radiant brown eyes, and Clarisse could only nod silently. The baby whimpered slightly at the change over, but he then opened his eyes and gazed at Clarisse… his eyes were brown… and they looked very much like Phillipe's eyes, Clarisse realised with a start as she slowly sat down in the chair next to the bed.

"We've already decided he had Dad's eyes, Grandma's nose, and Nick's mouth… but we're not quite sure about the ears… what do you think, Joe?"

Joe wandered shyly up to where his wife was sitting, holding the child and too absorbed to hear anything else, and looked at the ears curiously.

"I think… maybe your father's," he said after a moment, and Mia grinned at Nicholas.

"I told you that's what he would say."

"So…" Clarisse finally tore her eyes away from her great-grandson and looked from Nicholas to Mia. "What have you decided to name him?"

Mia and Nicholas exchanged another smiling look as Nicholas sat down on the bed next to Mia, and took her hand in his.

"Well… it was such a hard decision, and there were so many names we could have used, but didn't like… it was quite hard to decide what to call him, but as soon as we saw him, we knew that we had chosen the right name for him," Mia was stalling, and Joseph finally couldn't help himself.

"So, what is this wonderful name that you're teasing us with?"

"Okay… Joseph Lachlan Phillipe Nicholas Devereaux Renaldi… a little long, I know, but we thought it was a nice sounding name… and we also thought that, until he can decide for himself, we're going to call him…" Mia turned her eyes to look at Joe. "Joey."

There was a long silence as Clarisse and Joseph looked at each other, before Clarisse laughed through a fresh set of tears.

"What a wonderful name, darling… and I love it!" she gazed affectionately at the new parents, pride shining in her eyes, before depositing a gentle kiss on the top of her great-grandson's soft head, and giving him back to his mother. She then turned to look at her husband, who seemed to be in shock.

"Joe?" Mia looked at him worriedly as he sank into the chair next to Clarisse, who took his hand in hers and squeezed it tightly. "Is that alright with you…? I know we should have asked for permission, but…."

"Mia," he began in a hoarse voice, looking from Nicholas to Mia and then to the beaming Clarisse sitting next to him. "I don't know what to say… this is such an honour… I…"he bent his head, and cleared his throat, a sign that Clarisse took as he was battling his emotions.

"Joe, look at me for a moment," Clarisse said in a quiet voice, and he looked up. "You have brought so much happiness to this family- not only to me, but to my grandmother… You have been more than a bodyguard over the years, and I want you to be remembered… I'll be remember as the Queen who changed a law, Grandma will be remembered as the Queen who ruled without a man for seven years… and you will be remembered as the only man who loved her unconditionally."

"But… King Joseph?"

"Why not?" All the other names I got suggested were so boring… sorry, Grandma… He may not end up being King under that name but, legally, he will be Joseph…"

"I didn't expect that… but I don't know…"

Mia swung her legs off the bed, after handing Joey to Nicholas, and took both Joe's hands in his as Clarisse and Nicholas silently looked on.

"Joe, you are the best of the best… I would have thought that talk in the forest would have convinced you… Nick and I want our son to be like you- strong and dedicated, but not afraid to show his sensitive and caring side…Apart from the fishing you will be teaching him, I want him to see you as a role model…

"Thank you," Joe said hoarsely, hugging Mia tight before turning and embracing Clarisse even tighter.

"But first, you have to officially meet him…" Mia gently handed him the baby, and Clarisse had tears in her eyes as she watched her husband handle the baby awkwardly for a few minutes, before relaxing.

"Yes… he does have your father's eyes and your grandmother's nose…" he said after a moment as the baby studied him, and then closed his eyes for a nap.

"And eventually, he will have your kind and loyal spirit," Mia said softly as Joe glanced over at Clarisse for a moment, and she smiled as she squeezed his arm tenderly.

* * *

After watching the baby for a little longer, Joe suggested that the others should come in too, and soon the room was crowded with people cooing over little Joey. No one else was particularly surprised at the choice of name- in fact, Sebastian nodded approvingly.

"About time someone realised the contribution Joe has made to Genovia," he said firmly, looking from Mia to Joe, who was still sitting in the chair beside Clarisse and saying little.

'Are you alright?" Clarisse murmured into his ear, and she was touched to see that he was smiling happily over at her.

"I'm fine… I can't believe it…"

"She's a very clever girl, that Mia," Clarisse said softly as they watched Mia hand the baby over to Lily, who looked slightly awed at the sight of him.

"Just like her grandmother," he murmured into her ear, before taking the hand that was resting on his arm and kissing it. Clarisse looked around the room again, happy that everyone was there, but suddenly realising that it was probably almost morning…

"I think we might leave the party to it… we can come and see little Joey later today," she murmured, and he nodded his ascent as they slowly stood up.

"We're going to go now," Clarisse said calmly when Mia looked at them puzzled. "It's been a very late night, and I think Joseph needs a few hours sleep…" she trailed off as Joseph looked at her in mock outrage.

"And I was about to suggest the same thing about you!" he retorted before they both laughed, and the rest of the room joined in.

"You have enough people here to have a party… but we'll be back later on today," Clarisse said as she leaned over to kiss Mia. "But congratulations to the pair of you… and thank you for taking my little suggestion seriously!"

"No worries… Nick and I had already discussed it!" she grinned shyly before Clarisse moved to congratulate Nicholas, and have one more glance at baby Joey before accepting Joe's arm and they headed towards the door.

"By the way, we won't tell a word to anyone if the press happened to be downstairs!" Joe said as they left, and Mia laughed.

"Lily's already way ahead of you… she released a statement about half an hour ago… good luck getting through the questioners!"

"You would think that she wouldn't be so cheeky after the night she's had, wouldn't you?" Joe muttered under his breath as they left the suite, and walked towards the elevator. Clarisse laughed.

"I guess it must be the Renaldi genes coming out even more!"

000000

It was surprisingly quiet when they left the hospital, but Clarisse knew that it was only a matter of time before the press besieged both hospital and palace. She gazed out the window- the horizon was lightening considerably, and after glancing at her watch, she realised that it was almost 5:30… they had been at the hospital for 8 hours!

"I think I'm going to have to have a couple of hours nap before we go back to the hospital," Joe said in a joking tone as they walked into their silent suite, and laughed at the chaos they had left behind.

"That sounds like a wise idea, although I'm not that tired really…" Clarisse trailed off as she walked over to the window and gazed at the winter wonderland before them. They had a brand new great grandson, and his name was Joey! She smiled warmly when she felt Joe's arms wrap around her waist.

"It sure was an eventful evening, wasn't it?" he joked, and she laughed. "I wasn't only mentioning the baby, but you coming rushing into the bedroom like a chicken with its head cut off, and shouting at me… I never thought I would see that!"

"It only happens on rare occasions…" Clarisse said teasingly as she turned around and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "But you… you're going to be famous!"

"Yes… I never imagined that they would do that…" Joe sounded a little choked up, and Clarisse rubbed her hand down his face. "Wait… I happened to hear you say 'thank you for taking my little suggestion seriously'… what did that mean?"

He looked at her quizzically.

"Well, I wanted to make sure that they had your name in their discussions… I wanted this for you, and I thought it would be a wonderful surprise… actually; they were already talking about it… And, before you say anything, I had no idea what the name was going to be… I hope I did the right thing…" she looked at him worriedly, and he stared at her for a moment, before pulling her close and kissing her passionately.

"That is the sweetest thing that anyone has ever done for me… I'm not at all mad… I'm actually very honoured, and thank you… thank you, darling," he managed to stutter before kissing her again. "I love the gesture- and I love you for thinking of it!"

"I love you too," Clarisse beamed at him for a moment, before her eyes began twinkling. "By the way, I believe you owe me some money…."

"I knew you would remember that… I hope you're not going to be impossible to live with now!" Joe laughed as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He was about to give her the money when she stopped him.

"I was joking… you keep the money- you're going to need it when you start taking Joey fishing… by the way, what is your final decision about your name?"

"I think it might have be Grandpa… there's a Grandma, so Grandpa is a natural choice…."

"You do not look like a grandpa," Clarisse said seductively, kissing him on the mouth, and slowly moving towards the bedroom.

"You certainly don't look like a Grandma…" he added, laughing and following her into the bedroom. Clarisse glanced around for something to hold up, and she held up her empty cup of tea from the previous evening.

"I'll make a proper toast later but…to our new grandson Joseph Lachlan Phillipe Nicholas Devereaux Renaldi… to Joey!"

"To Joseph- and to Mia and Nicholas as well…. They are going to have some fun times ahead!"

"So are we… the best thing about all of this is that I'm celebrating with you… and that means so much to me!"

"It means a lot to me as well…. I think we're all going to have some fun times ahead!" Joe laughed as he walked over and took her into his arms.

"Does that mean you're going to take me camping soon?"

"You're just going to have to wait and see, my darling!"


End file.
